I'm a big believer in Murphy's law. A bit of a pessimist that way. Particularly when it comes to finances.
I'm also a more recent convert to positive thinking, the power of mindset and yeah, maybe even manifestation to an extent.
Which leaves me struggling a bit to reconcile the two approaches. They seem at odds, right?
A few years ago I made the conscious choice to try and shift my thinking on the regular, and make an effort to switch up my default state.
Amazingly ... it made a difference. I wouldn't say it changed my core personality - I'm definitely still a realist, with the same sarcastic tongue and sense of humour - but it actually did wonders for my state of mind and made me a more pleasant person to be around.
Last year I really started to delve more into mindset, with books like Think and Grow Rich
Hell, I even changed my passwords like some say to do, so that your goal is front of mind each time you type it in.
Is it helping? Can't hurt, I figure ... there's nothing to lose. At the very least, it reminds me of my goals multiple times a day.
Of course, not everything is within our control and shit happens. Positive thinking doesn't mean burying your head in the sand and blinding yourself to reality.
But it can definitely shore up your ability to cope with setbacks and manage stress. I've found that opening up my mind like this has led to me to see more possibilities and think differently in order to succeed.
Balancing these viewpoints, I've come to realise that this is something I've basically always proclaimed to aspire to:
Live for today, save for tomorrow.
Hope for the best, but also, plan for the worst.
What would yours be?