Negative thinking should be a superpower. After 20 years, it’s still the underdog when it comes to thinking strategies.

You can take advantage of negative thinking by harnessing the force behind your negative thoughts and then directing it into taking positive action.

The idea is not new. Back in 2002, Julie Norem wrote The Positive Power of Negative Thinking: Using Defensive Pessimism to Harness Anxiety and Perform at Your Peak. It’s been one of my key messages ever since.

Negative thinking is useful if you’re anxious about a situation or your ability to achieve a desired outcome. Known as defensive pessimism, it’s where you keep your expectations low to reduce disappointment. You identify potential worst-case scenarios and then develop and act on strategies to manage them.

Negative thinking is the impetus – and even the inspiration – for a contingency plan. Negative thinking is a cue to channel the energy into taking action rather than it contributing to higher levels of anxiety.

Positive thinking is useful if you’re not anxious about a situation or your ability to achieve a desired outcome. Known as strategic optimism, this is where your confidence in achieving a goal outweighs your anxiety so your expectations will be higher than if you were feeling anxious about it.  

Test it for yourself.

Think about a goal you want to achieve. How do you feel about your ability to achieve it?

How anxious are you feeling? How confident are you in your ability to achieve it?

Measure your anxiety level out of 10. Then measure your confidence level out of 10.

Which one is stronger? Your anxiety or your confidence?

Based on your measurements, do you need to take a defensive approach or an optimistic one to achieve your desired outcome. If in doubt, take the defensive approach. It’s easier to accept a switch up than a drop down.

You don’t need to ignore negative thinking. Make the most of it. Get it working for you instead of against you.

Reference:

Norem, J. (2002). The positive power of negative thinking: using defensive pessimism to harness anxiety and perform at your peak. Basic Books. London.