The Power of Positive Thinking
Learning to focus on what is right, real, and full of faith—especially when life feels heavy.
A daily devotional adapted from The Drive podcast
In 1919, a young cartoonist was fired from a Kansas City newspaper. His editor told him he wasn’t creative enough and should find a different line of work.
That cartoonist was Walt Disney.
Had he listened to that voice of doubt, fear, and discouragement, the world would have missed out on generations of creativity, imagination, and joy. Instead, Disney chose to believe something different—something positive—about himself and his future.
Positive thinking didn’t mean ignoring reality. It meant refusing to let fear define it.
Why Our Minds Drift Negative
Human nature pulls us toward the negative. Subconsciously, our brains are wired to detect danger and avoid risk. That instinct keeps us alive—but it can also keep us stuck.
Stepping into the unknown often triggers fear, self-doubt, and worst-case thinking. Left unchecked, those thoughts quietly shape our behaviors, our confidence, and even the outcomes we experience.
One professor illustrated this perfectly in a classroom experiment.
He handed out a test paper with no questions—only a single black dot in the center of the page. Then he asked students to write about what they saw.
Every single student wrote about the black dot.
No one mentioned the white space surrounding it.
The professor’s point was simple but profound:
We often focus our entire attention on what’s wrong while ignoring everything that’s right.
What We Think, We Create
Thoughts don’t stay thoughts for long. They become beliefs. Beliefs shape actions. Actions produce outcomes.
Self-defeating thoughts lead to self-defeating behaviors.
Faith-filled thoughts lead to faith-filled lives.
Scripture shows this pattern clearly. When Joshua and Caleb scouted the promised land, they saw the same obstacles as the other spies—but they interpreted them differently. Where others saw impossibility, they saw opportunity backed by God.
Negative thinking kept an entire generation wandering for forty years.
Faith and positive vision would have carried them forward.
Five Practices That Build Positive Thinking
Positive thinking isn’t pretending everything is easy—it’s choosing where to focus.
Here are five simple but powerful practices:
1. Control your body language
Lift your head. Square your shoulders. Stay engaged. Your posture feeds your mindset.
2. Practice gratitude daily
Start and end your day naming three things you’re grateful for. Gratitude trains your mind to see the white space.
3. Build positive habits
Meditation, uplifting reading, affirmations, journaling—whatever feeds your mind, repeat it.
4. Watch your words
Especially the words you speak to yourself. Thoughts and words reinforce each other.
5. Choose positive people
Energy is contagious. Be intentional about who you allow close to you.
Looking to Christ
The Savior gave one of the simplest and most powerful instructions for positive thinking:
“Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” (D&C 6:36)
Peter walked on water as long as his focus stayed on Christ. When his attention shifted to the waves, fear took over—and he began to sink.
The same is true for us.
Where our thoughts go, our faith follows.
Today’s Daily Challenge
Choose one of the five practices today and put it into action.
If you’re unsure where to start, begin with gratitude:
Write down three things you’re thankful for this morning.
Write down three more tonight.
Then make a conscious effort to look for the white space, not just the black dots.
Thanks for taking a moment to reflect today.
For daily devotionals and episode topics, visit
https://joshdowns.com/daily-devotionals
For gospel-centered lessons designed specifically for teens, explore
https://joshdowns.com/come-follow-me-for-teens
