Would you like a simple way to really change your life? Would you like to stop unwanted and negative thoughts and actively focus on the positive? Instead of merely getting by, you’ll find that your life can truly be exceptional when you focus on positive solutions rather than the constraints of your challenges.

This 10-Day Negative Thought Fast, originated by Emmett Fox, one of the most popular self-help authors and speakers of the early 20^th century, is an adventure you’ll reap many benefits from.

Here are the rules:

1. If you break any of the other rules, you must start the 10 days over from the beginning. To get the full effect, you must complete 10 consecutive days. Giving up negative thoughts is a little like giving up a drug; you’ve got to stop using them completely, otherwise you haven’t truly quit.
2. You cannot focus on a negative thought or remain in a negative emotional state for more than five minutes. Ideally, the time should be much shorter. Five minutes should be plenty of time to recognize what’s going on and put a stop to it. Remember, even one instance of lingering for more than five minutes means starting over.
3. You must focus on solutions. When the negative thoughts start, the idea is to immediately start contemplating possible solutions. Spend your time solving your challenges instead of focusing on them.If you’re like most people, you’ve probably had the same challenges for quite a while without resolution. It’s time to try something else instead of dwelling on what’s wrong.

This sounds deceptively easy, but you may be surprised how difficult it is to give up negativity. We tend to think that worrying helps in some way. But you’ve probably been worrying about a lot of things for a long time and they haven’t improved.

When you’re faced with a negative thought (and there will be many!), the best response is to think to yourself, “How can I solve or improve this challenge?” The point is to immediately begin focusing on solutions. When you ask a good question, you’ll receive good answers.

Over the 10 days, you’ll begin to form a habit of immediately recognizing a negative mental state and then focusing on solutions for what you feel negatively about. If you continue the process after the 10 days are completed, you’ll develop a permanent habit that will only require a minimal amount of maintenance.

You might need several attempts to complete the full 10 days. It’s common to have numerous slips on day one and then a few others later in the process. Refrain from beating yourself up over it. Remember, you’re focusing on solutions.

Taking Your Focus Away From A Negative Thought

One way to help keep the negative thoughts at bay is to ask yourself positive questions like the following:

• What’s great about today?
• What do I like the most about this?
• What am I most proud of?
• What am I most looking forward to?

Try turning negative thoughts around by focusing on the opposite of whatever is bringing you down. If you’re feeling negative about something you don’t have right now, try feeling grateful for all the things you do have. Grab a pen and list five, as quickly as you can.

If you’re filling your mind with positive thoughts, there’s no room for the negative stuff. And since we can only consciously think about one thing at a time, replacing negative thoughts with positive ones is the way to banish them long-term.

Try this 10-day adventure and see if it doesn’t change your life. You’ll be so amazed at the results that you’ll never want to go back to the old way of dwelling on the challenges in your life. Start this process today and change your life for the better.