The Power of Positive Thinking - Norman Vincent Peale

It's interesting that a book written over 50 years ago could still have so much impact in today's world, but the insights that Dr Peale shares are not marked by time. Dr Peale uses Biblical ideas in non-traditional ways even by today's standards. To think that this was written in 1952 makes you marvel at just how far ahead of his time this man was... or perhaps we've just moved backwards. It makes you wonder if perhaps in today's world of technology, if we haven't just lost sight of some of the common sense that we once had.

While Dr Peale uses Biblical ideas and verses to enhance and back up his ideas, the concepts are strong even if you don't believe the Biblical side of things. It is easy to read this book and understand that somewhere in what he has written was the root of the idea for "The Secret". It's not that far-fetched that one you reap you sow, the thoughts you put out into the world are what you will get back. If you focus on the negative, you will get negative. BUT, if you focus on the positive you will get that as well. The ideas that we can be physically healed by thinking positive thoughts has been proven too many times. And the knowledge that we can make ourselves physically ill through our mental states is widely known as well, much more widely known now than when Dr Peale wrote about it over 50 years ago.

I picked this book up because I felt I had been allowing myself to get bogged down in too much negativity; from people around me, but mostly my own negativity. It's easy to do when you don't physically feel well; but that is the time when it is most important to focus on the positive in an effort to feel better. While there were parts that I skimmed and other parts that felt repetitive, there was much to be gained in this book, and much that I felt I could easily apply to myself. I can honestly say that in doing so I do feel that I have been able to express a more positive outlook and attitude in recent weeks.