The Power of Positive Thinking

The Power of Positive Thinking
by Neal R. Karski

I have read a substantial amount of literature in the last few months that generally spoke about the matter of positive thinking in daily activities, relationships, business and other challenges we face in our lives. Positive thinking has said to be a powerful force in progressing, moving on, succeeding and conclusively, being happy. It’s the factor that triggers the connection we develop with our dreams, goals, people and objects of desire. In the book “Secret,” the authors described the mind and its engulfed thoughts as the most helpful tools to achieve one’s plans of being financially independent or having a loving marriage, when fully utilized and targeted. Many millionaires and billionaires have also stressed the importance of focusing one’s internal wavelengths in the direction of the path one hopes to take with his or her life. Then, we face the issue of alignment. Alignment particularly applies to matching up one’s thoughts with his or her beliefs, values, characteristics, habits, etc. to establish a compatible and continuous pattern [which is said to bring more balance into one’s existence].

Let’s not exclude two very significant elements that allow one to exercise the power of positive thinking. Those are imagination and optimism.

Imagination is the source of one’s ingenuity and creativity. It’s what motivates one to go above and beyond, “up and high in the sky,” and even farther. This element engenders motivation, which consequently also acts as the driver for positive thinking in a specific task or idea-in-works. The authors of the books from which I’ve gathered my knowledge about this subject insisted that one should and must dream and imagine better living conditions, a pleasant vacation or simply a well-paying job at a higher position. Imagination will provide you with ideas you want to pursue and positive thinking will link you to them; all you have to do is act upon it.

Optimism stems from one’s inner ability to perceive positively, with taking into consideration a logical analysis of the circumstances. Optimism also acts as the supporter of the motivational force that is created by imagination and executed with positive thinking. Sometimes, instead of taking a cynical approach, one ought to look on the brighter side (Half Full vs. Half Empty) to see the positive end of the spectrum and learn lessons that can, with time, improve the mood, overall well being and decision making. Optimism is the critical element of positive thinking, because without such thinking would solely remain stagnant… or negative.

Stay Tuned. God Bless.

Personality Types

Day and Night
by Neal R. Karski

As I am a big fanatic of the psychological realm, I decided to write a short piece in which I would compare the two sides of the personality spectrum. Most of my knowledge about this particular field comes from self education, books and personal experiences; the latter which really inspired me to talk about the Type A and Type B classifications. Personally, I find it quite intriguing and at times miraculous how divergent from each other these specific types can become. I happen to fall into the A category: hyperactive, dynamic, “go-go” (seriously), yet my brother, whose personality resembles the passive and introspective model, quite often may be just the exact polar opposite of me (seriously, again).

Thus, I will attempt to portray both personality types in a manner I find suitable for both myself and the readers.

TYPE A

Have you ever found yourself rushing, pacing and sometimes losing focus? But then, that sometimes would transform into a daily occurrence and embark itself as part of your lifestyle – of who you are. Restless, busy, occupied, dynamic, curious. These are just a few adjectives describing the type to which you could relate to. Have you woken up one morning and felt like there was so much in life to explore, to learn, to talk about? But then, there were never enough hours in a day for that, and there were not enough accessible means of transportation to all the places you wanted to see, and you were not satisfying your curiosity cravings up to your par. Type As are hungry for life. They are hunters for thought, idea, entertainment or results. They reject the status quo and wish to progress at a fast, sometimes inconceivable pace. The everlasting driving force keeps them out of their homes, desiring to socialize with others, and interact in many countless activities that can be difficult to manage.

TYPE B

If Type A is the day, then what is Type B? Night! Yes, you’ve guessed correctly. Although the scale on which I’m making this contrast may not present such a drastic differential, frequently it’s a close call. Type Bs tend to be like night… calmer, more peaceful, situated, quieter, still (you get the point), but their introspection allows them to explore individual issues on a deeper level. Relatively, it also directs their attention to a particular task or idea, rather than splitting their stream of consciousness into a multi-dimensional wave of thoughts. Have you ever found yourself acceptant of your current financial, social, occupational, or academic situation? And change wasn’t necessary. Have you ever found yourself comfortable with a small circle of friends rather than being concerned about a popularity trend? And those friends were simply enough. Type Bs like to conduct their lives at a slower pace, and in their own ways. They are lurkers of the quiet sphere; explorers of their own emotions, tied to artistic interests or specific hobbies, unwilling to take a huge leap or make a substantial difference… and usually quite amicable.

Growing Culture of Video Games

The Transformation of Video Games and their Impact on the Society
by Neal R. Karski

Video games… ever since the 1990s when the early phenomenons appeared on the markets across the world this phenomenon has gained increasing popularity as the producers improved their quality and realistic nature. Twenty years later, video game platforms and consoles are present in hundreds of thousands of domestic and commercial locations across the globe where users can interact with each other, compete and enhance their skills with online experience. This form of entertainment, initially most utilized by younger generations, has now grown into a field of all ages… we can say that as the world has become more liberalized, so has the interest in playing hits such as Call of Duty or FIFA.

One may say… “Video games have given me a chance to escape reality without leaving my household,” another may reason “There are so many things I want to do in my life, but I don’t have the finances or opportunities to – video games are those opportunities”. Whether you agree or not, that happens to be your own opinion. That is exactly the purpose of video games: to satisfy one’s own personal needs of entertainment, excitement, leisure, past times, social gathering with friends, etc. It is meant to give one, as the individual owner and user of the video game platform, the options, the choices, the personal freedom to venture into different worlds and different occupations.

Now let’s briefly discuss the impact of video games on the society… The controversies in the 90s revolved around the censorship of brutality, language, sexual content and such related material displayed via the means of digital graphics. And it is possible that many of these concerns were quite legitimate, as studies have shown that video games did effect the youth in many negative ways. Some countered these arguments stating that video games were an actual and significant source of learning and knowledge of the world [regardless whether it was the “real” world or not]. Opinions on this issue vary to this day. More importantly, I believe that video games have really transformed the perception we have of our surroundings, i.e. the world around us. Through the median of visual and practical utilization of controllers and online characters / players, we’ve somehow become part of the world of video games, and vice versa. It is safe to assume that there are people who have even detached themselves from the psychological reality, and began to lose the comprehension or rather the separation of the two entities.

There is lot more to say on this topic, but for now, this thought has come to an end… George and I certainly would not mind to receive your thoughts…

God Bless

Video Gaming – Pastime or Obsession?
by George A. Miu

Every other week, it seems, we are bombarded with news of a new “revolutionary” console that will forever change the way we enjoy gaming. Of course, most of these are little hand-held gadgets that no person over the age of ten, or below the limits of 20/20 vision, can possibly enjoy. Nevertheless, the hoopla surrounding the PS3, Xbox and Wii appears to have been justified when considering the return that investing in one has yielded in terms of sheer enjoyment. The PC, arguably the world’s forgotten console, has evolved magnificently, too, now being able to run increasingly complex and realistic games.

However, in a seldom anticipated move, gaming has teamed up with the Internet and created a phenomenon that, some argue, can lead to considerable deterioration in our social patterns – online gaming. MMORPGs (Massively-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) such as World of Warcraft or Guild Wars appear to have substantial addictive powers that affect millions of gamers worldwide. Every-so-often, reports come out of Asia, Europe and the US pertaining to “gamer deaths” due to exhaustion and a general neglect of hygiene caused by deep obsessions that people develop with their online characters.

It may seem laughable to many of us that people sacrifice their real lives in favor of what, in its most basic, is the ephemeral, illusory representation of chunks of codes designed by programmers. I was privy to the sobering facts my freshman year of college, when a good friend and neighbor told me of having had to “quit” Runescape (an online game) due to a bona fide addiction. Another neighbor developed a similar infatuation with World of Warcraft; his grades suffered, as did his social life.

I remember my dad and I playing Lemmings and Tetris in the mid-to-late 1990s. We never became fixated with it to such a great degree, but then again, games were so much less immersive back then, that it comes as no real surprise. As we advanced in age, we kept up with these habits, never spending more time than was healthy in front of the PC screen. We both know people that fell into the trap of personal neglect, and we deem it to be an easy mistake to make, especially in this day and age when necessities are often satisfied axiomatically.

But let’s remember something here, people. Games are good so long as they provide a temporary escape; the more realistic, the better. But when they constitute a mistaken elimination of the responsibilities that human beings have towards society, video games become a force of evil, rather than one of good.

So when Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft come up with another miracle that will change reality forever, one ought to pause for a moment and think on what kind of change these new inventions precipitate.