2. Character, attitude and mentality are important features for human being. It is what distinguishes us
from any other creature and what makes us to always moving forward and developing.
Mr. Anies Baswedan, The Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia have
spoken several times that we as human must have great attitude and character inside us. One of the
most important is, about how we should keep thinking positive.
Definition of Positive Thinking:1
1. An optimistic attitude ⇒ So encourage positive thinking and a forward-looking attitude to
life, especially when it comes to the building of new relationships., the benefits of positive
thinking
2. A technique for changing your attitude and fostering optimism ⇒ The effect which
thoughts can have on life has been proved by people who have tried positive thinking, mind
dynamics or visualization., These people believe positive thinking can cure cancer.
It is a mental and emotional attitude that focuses on the bright side of life and expects positive
results. A positive person anticipates happiness, health and success, and believes he or she can
overcome any obstacle and difficulty. This way of thinking might not be accepted by everyone.
However, there is a growing number of people, who accept positive thinking as a fact, and believe in
its effectiveness.
Example By Great People
The way of positive thinking have been used by many great people throughout the history.
Indonesia, as a country that is 70 years old (by 17 August 2015) have the chance to be lead by its
founding fathers who chose to have optimistic approaches. One of the case is, Mr. Mohammad
Hatta who studied in Netherlands and afterwards become the first vice president of Indonesia. He
has a very optimistic vision during his return to Indonesia while caried lots of books although most of
Indonesian people during that time are illiterate (more than 90% of its population). He was not
afraid with this and tried to realize his ideas.
1
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/positive-thinking
3. In fact, the opening of the constitution of the Republic of Indonesia is using words that are quite
optimistic. "Then to form a government of Indonesia that protect the entire Indonesian and this
country of Indonesia and to promote the general welfare, the intellectual life of the nation, and
participate in implementing world order based on freedom, lasting peace and social justice." These
words imply the thought that is used for positive ideas and hope, Instead of using words that contain
negative elements such as “poverty alleviation, combating ignorance, etc.”
Students who search for joy and play with their friends, for example in soccer, develops the ability to
move athletically (physical skills), the ability to communicate with a team (social skills), and the
ability to explore and examine the world around them (creative skills). Therefore, the positive
emotions of play and joy prompt a person to build skills that are useful and valuable in everyday life.
These skills last much longer than the emotions that initiated them. Years later, that foundation of
athletic/physical skill might develop into a scholarship as an athlete in college or the communication
skills may lead to a job offer as a business manager.
Fredrickson refers to this as the "broaden and build"2
theory because positive emotions broaden
your sense of possibilities and open your mind, which in turn allows you to build new skills and
resources that can provide value in other areas of your life.
Negative Thinking Effect
It has been known for a long time that negative emotions program your brain to do a specific action.
For example, When a wild and dangerous animal crosses your path, you will automatically thinking
to run. The rest of the world doesn’t matter at all. You are focused entirely on the animal, the fear it
creates, and how you can get away from it.
This negative emotion narrows your mind and focuses your thoughts, while at that same moment,
you might have the option to climb a tree or grab a stick. Your brain ignores all of those options
because they seem irrelevant.
2
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1693418/
4. This might be a useful instinct if you tried to save life and body parts, however in modern society
especially in the city, this dangerous wild animal encounter case is not an issue. The problem is that
our brain is still programmed to respond to negative emotions in the same way, by shutting off the
outside world and limiting the options you see around you.
For example, when you are stressed out about deadlines that must be done today, you may find it
hard to actual start or continue anything because you’re paralyzed by how long your to–do list has
become. Your brain closes off from the outside world and focuses on the negative emotions of fear,
anger, and stress. Negative emotions prevent your brain from seeing the other options and choices
that surround you. It’s your survival instinct.
Greater Effect on Positive Thinking
Positive thinking leads us to have many options and longer term of planning, as been explained
previously. More options leads to more alternative for prevention or to minimize errors and enhance
higher creativity. It will encourage differentiation and makes unique things which can make us win
from competitors. Longer term of planning will enhance your strategic planning ability and a more
focused corporate vision realization and its activities.
This is very important for those who aim to create or work on high managerial level in a huge size
company (mostly multinational company/global level). The founding fathers of the Republic of
Indonesia also realize and do this kind of things. It has been proven that this nation still exists even
after 70 years of good and bad conditions, starting from the state of zero (after the occupation and
independence war period).
5. For further assistance & consultation, kindly contact :
Muhammad Ikhlas Modjo
E: mim@mimconsulting.co.id
P: +62 815 8200 890
Doddy Oktavianus Iskandar
E: doddy.oktavianus@mimconsulting.co.id
P: +62 813 1835 9197
Dian Oktaviani
E: dian.okta@mimconsulting.co.id
P: +62 816 184 7683
www.mimconsulting.co.id
Wisma Kodel - 11th floor
Jl. HR Rasuna Said Kav. B-4
Jakarta Selatan 12920
T : +62 21 5290 2028
F : +62 21 5290 2027
Disclaimer : this content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a
substitute for consultation with profesional advisors
