I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

As the relatively recent "psychological" movement of Positive Thinking would have you believe, positive thinking will bring one wealth, friends, and wealth.  That simply thinking happy thoughts will help you ace that job interview, land the perfect partner, win friends, sway any argument, and generally come out a winner.  Apparently, if I wake up every morning with a daily affirmation that "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, by golly, people like me!", I can land whatever I want!  If I repeatedly tell myself "I will get the job, I will get the job, I will get the job", and perhaps click my heels together three times, I, in fact, WILL get the job!

What a load of hooey.  Positive Thinking seems to be very based on the idea of getting more stuff.  A bigger house.  A better job.  More money.  More happiness.  All without reflecting on and being content with what you have.  Ambition isn't a four-letter word, but a continual battle to acquire more stuff eventually hits a roadblock, and that's where we get down on ourselves.  Coincidentally enough, such a movement really provides another opportunistic avenue to lay fault squarely on YOU for many systemic issues keeping people behind.  Now, I'm not saying that all bad things that happen to a person are outside of their control, or that people shouldn't take responsibility for the circumstances in which they may find themselves.  I'm simply of the mind that saying someone isn't wealthy because they didn't want it enough, or because they didn't believe in themselves.  Not happy?  Not successful?  It's YOUR fault.  All your fault.  You should be ashamed.

And, see, I don't buy it.  I am absolutely sure that people do have a say in their future, that each one of us has the ability to influence the outcomes of daily circumstances.  But I don't think that simply thinking happy thoughts will get you there as some would have you believe.  Rather, I believe that by closely monitoring our perspective of daily hurdles, we can essentially affect our attitude, which in turn may potentially lessen the burden.