Just as thoughts affect our minds, emotions, and physical health, our attitudes have a large impact on our behavior and actions. This direct link between our thoughts and our mental and physical health is gaining greater press as more and more research confirms the idea that thoughts can affect our health both positively and negatively.

One of the easiest ways to recognize the power of your own thoughts is to first recognize exactly what ideas circulate in your mind during the day. Keep a journal or a legal pad next to your bed and write down your thoughts first thing in the morning. It can be as short as a couple lines or a paragraph or as long as a page or two. Write without censoring yourself. Do the same thing in the evening before you go to sleep, and keep up the process for one week. At the end of that week, take each statement and decide if it is positive or negative. A statement is negative if it's not self-nurturing; if it raises doubt about your character, potential, or appearance. Put a plus in a circle around each positive statement and a minus in a circle around each negative one. If you discover that you are having primarily negative thoughts, examine your list and convert each negative statement into a positive one. Once you get in the habit of turning negative thoughts or situations into positive ones, it will become second nature. You will think positively without even realizing it.