When I mention the phrase ‘quantum physics to my wife Lyn,’ the blood drains from her face…She tries to maintain eye contact with me while her right hand slowly moves toward the nearest wine bottle.I don’t blame her — it’s how most people react to the phrase (and, keep in mind, Lyn has had to suffer me rambling on about the repercussions of the latest theories for over 3 decades).For years, though, I’ve been reading and listening to so-called experts in personal development exhort the ‘power of positive thinking’. Here’s my take on positive thinking, however:

It’s a complete illusion. It does not exist.

I’ve always known it, but never had the evidence to prove it until quantum physics came to my rescue.From a quantum physics and physiological standpoint, such a thing as positive thinking is impossible. It cannot exist. I’ll explain why in a moment, but why does it even matter?

It matters because the advice offered for positive thinking and positive attitudes is harmful to your success.

To get the conversation started, let’s stab a sword through the fear of the phrase ‘quantum physics.’ Quantum is just a Latin word meaning ‘how much’. Physics is the study of the relationship between energy and matter. So, taken together, quantum physics just means ‘studying how much energy and matter are related.’ They’re related. Done. There’s nothing to fear.In a fascinating (and somewhat mind-boggling) development, quantum physics tells us:

Not only do all probabilities exist until the moment of observation when all probabilities collapse into a single reality — but a particle or wave has already anticipatedthat observation choice before it’s physically made. 

Physiology tells us that it takes 500 milliseconds to form a thought. Which means, the event that triggered the thought has already come and gone from the ether before we’re aware of it in our 3-dimensional life — and our triggered thought comes after the creation event because it exists in a physical 3-dimensional reality. Put another way, we make a conscious creation (the event) in a multi-dimensional universe and then, in our 3-dimensional solid matter, we experience a thought about it some milliseconds later. So as we’re having the thought, the thing that triggered it has already moved on. As physical matter, we’re a bit like the comet trail of our consciousness… we’re not actually living in the present in this 3-dimensional body, but slightly behind it. (At this point, if you’re like my wife, your eyes may be starting to glaze over…

But stay with me here…)For a long time, prevailing wisdom has suggested that first we see something we don’t like, and then we have an automatic, negative thought about it. Clearly, we don’t have the time to stop the thought…What we can do, however, is to choose a different response to the thought we just had. It’s what I’ve always proposed:

Forget positive thinking and work on positive reactions and positive responses to the thoughts that have already transpired.

Because here’s the deal…It’s our own consciousness creating the event that triggers the physiological thoughts in the first place, so it must be receiving input in some format about what we want. And, because our thoughts are ‘behind’ in time from the creation event (insofar as we understand time), our consciousness must also be anticipating a future us. To me, this explains why Intentions work so much better than goals: When we Intend, we project our minds into the future and imagine what we want to happen as already happened. Could this be the process by which so many of us have had incredible, almost miraculous, events show up in response to our imagined Intentions — in that, we form a ‘communication loop’ with our forward-creating consciousness? If this is true…Then, for sure, events will improve and the thoughts automatically triggered by them will become naturally positive.(Do I hear a cork being pulled from a bottle?)So my advice is to forget all about positive thinking. If you find yourself having fearful thoughts, don’t beat yourself up or do a guilt trip on yourself. It’s not your fault. It’s a natural process. Instead, respond by using your imagination to create fantastical Intentions and then imagine them as already here. According to my interpretation of quantum physics, everything should change effortlessly and soon people will be commenting on the new, positive you.(Or it could be, as Lyn said when I read this back to her, ‘Sounds like a load of old bollocks to me.’ : )

Sincerely, 

Trevor