The Power of Positive Thinking During COVID | Jack Canfield

You know, there's a lot of crazy stuff happening in the world right now. And when you read the news, it can be hard to stay positive about the future. But the fact is, even now, in the midst of a global pandemic, there are so many reasons to be excited about what the future holds for us. And today, I'd like to share some of those reasons with you and give you some tips on how to leverage the power of positive thinking even when the world is in crisis. Now, first off, it's encouraging to see that the countries that were hardest hit by the the coronavirus are starting to lift restrictions as their recovery rates rise. And also, studies are now showing that there have been many more cases of COVID 19 than originally reported, which means that the mortality rate is actually much lower than originally thought. And scientists are beginning to think that maybe only 1%. And that means that 99% of the people who were infected with the virus survive. And about half of the people who get it experience no real symptoms at all. So instead of living in fear and focusing on the 1% who do die, I strongly encourage you to take faith in the fact that it's far more likely that you're going to be in the 99% who survive. Now, obviously, you still need to take good care of yourself and your health and take good and proper precautions that health officials recommend. But it's good to know that even if you do catch the virus, you have a 99% chance of living through it just fine. And those are a chances. Now, it's good to know that the FDA has already approved emergency use of the nation's first treatment drug for the virus. And there are so many brilliant minds all over the work that are focused toward creating a treatment and a vaccine for this virus. Never before have all the world's doctors and epidemiologists been working together for a common goal. Researchers, scientists, and health institutions are collaborating and sharing information in a way that's never been seen before. So this could be the start of some really amazing initiatives to advance global health. Now, in terms of the environment, air pollution in major cities around the world has dropped by as much as 60%. People in Europe, Asia, Central and South America are enjoying better air quality than they have in decades. And did you know that the World Health organization estimates that 4.6 million people die of air pollution each year? So look at the effort we're making to make sure people don't die of the coronavirus. Imagine if we put the same kind of effort into battling global pollution we could accomplish so much more. And look at what's happening in the global energy industry. Renewable energy continues to get cheaper and more countries around the world are switching to sustainable sources and decreasing their reliance on coal, gas and oil. And this is also really good news for the environment. Now this is really cool too. Pakistan is currently hiring out of work laborers to plant billions of trees in the country. And that's going to increase air quality all around the world. The city of Milan is turning into more of a green city by allocating 22 miles of streets to cyclists and pedestrians and making them no car zones. And lots of other cities are doing the same thing. And I recently read that after decades of being on the endangered species list, humpback whales and blue whales are making a comeback, which is great news for the health of the oceans. Now those are just a few ways that life is actually getting better. There's a lot of good happening in the world right now. People are coming together like never before. They're helping their neighbors. They're cheering health workers from their porches and windows. People are donating their stimulus checks to businesses in need. Companies and athletes are contributing millions and millions of dollars to food banks and other charities. And rather than society falling apart, many people are helping and supporting each other more than ever before. And that's the funny thing about the virus. As terrible as it is, it's also given us the opportunity to look at our lives, our society and the world and see what's working and what's not. It's showing us what's truly important and what's not. It's showing us where we need to grow and improve as individuals and as society. And there is a tremendous amount of opportunity in that. But in order to recognize those opportunities and act on them, you have to remain in a positive mindset. They simply won't appear to you if you're always focused on the negative. And when you're focused on the obstacles, it's hard to see the opportunities. So please remember that no matter what the news says, it's not all doom and gloom out there in the world now. There are always as many positive stories as there are negative stories. Unfortunately, they just don't make it to the front page of the news as often. So if you find yourself succumbing to all of the negative stuff, I encourage you to actively seek out good stories. The website Good is is a great source for positive news stories. And the Same goes for goodnewsnetwork.org or optimistdaily.com I also encourage you to take the following steps to stay focused on the positive. Step 1 Limit your exposure to negative news. Now you can give yourself an hour or two a week maximum to catch up with major stories, but then turn off the news and focus your attention on something more productive that will actually help you in your life. Step 2 Limit your exposure to negative people as much as possible, avoid spending time with them and instead seek out positive people who are more interested in focusing on the good things that are happening in their lives and in the world. Step 3 Practice meditation. The more you're able to quiet your monkey mind and focus on the present moment, the easier you'll find it to calm your fears and your anxiety and feel more optimistic. Step four is practice gratitude. There are so many things you have to be grateful for. Your health, your job, however challenging it might be right now, your friends and family, the beauty of the natural world, and so on. The more you focus on how good you actually have it, the easier it will be for you to resist negativity. Finally, Step five Do one good thing every day for someone. It's a very easy way to be the change you want to see in the world. Your one good thing doesn't have to be big. It could be as simple as sending a note of gratitude to someone in your life, mowing your neighbor's lawn, or making a small donation to a local charity. The more you focus on doing nice things for others, the better you're going to feel about yourself and the more aware you will become of the nice things that others do for you. And that will help grow your awareness of everything that's good in the world. So this week I challenge you to implement one of the steps I just mentioned into your daily routine. Limit your exposure to negative news and or negative people. Start practicing meditation or expressing more gratitude, or start doing one more good thing a day, whatever that means to you. Or you could choose to do all of them. I guarantee the impact they will have on your life will be huge. Now remember what you focus on grows. So if you want this time to be a period of growth and change for the better in your life and the world as a whole, look for the solutions instead of the problems. Let me know what you think in the comments. So thanks again for watching. Here's to looking at the bright side of life. If you found this video helpful, please make sure you like it, share it with a friend who may need it, and subscribe to my channel for more videos like this one and for some additional exercises and tools for cultivating a positive mindset. Make sure to visit jackcampfield.com and check out the links in the description below.