When you first try to tap in to the power of positive thinking, you need to start in a small way. If you don't believe it will work, or you're not sure, then suspend your disbelief and try to work on small changes.

It's one thing to tell yourself, "Tomorrow, when I wake up in the morning I won't snooze several times and feel drowsy for the rest of the day," and quite another to tell yourself, "Tomorrow, when I wake up in the morning I'll be living in a fourteen bedroom mansion and rolling in riches." (Unless, of course, you are in fact independently wealthy and living in a mansion at the moment; in which case you might try to think your way into ownership of a small country.)

The process of making positive thinking work for you begins with breaking down your existing thought structure and creating a new positive attitude. In order to make room for new methods and ideas, you must first rip out all the old negative thinking patterns you've been building throughout your life. For some, this can be a gradual process: as you witness positive thinking work for you, one small step at a time, you will slowly clear out those 'good-things-only-happen-to-other-people' thoughts and be able to cultivate the seeds of change. With each small change you will find that your positive attitude also changes.

"The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." - William James

"Our lives are what our thoughts make of them." - Marcus Aurelius

What's holding you back? Even those who fully embrace the theory of positive thinking may feel some qualms over entrusting their lives to mere thought. There are many possibilities that could be producing weeds in your mental garden, and the best way to get rid of a weed is to yank it out, roots and all. How do you overcome the negativity and lay the foundation for a healthy life outlook?

Self-Esteem, or what you privately think of yourself is the key.

For most of human existence, self-esteem was an unheard-of notion akin to the theories of those heretics who believed the world was round. The term "self-esteem" - defined by Webster's Dictionary as "pride in oneself; self-respect" - made its way into the common public awareness during the 1960s and 1970s as a catch-all term to describe the essence of parenting problems.

The "old ways" of parenting were pronounced barbaric and damaging to the budding self-esteem of our youth, and many parents fearful of raising unhappy, ill-adjusted children took advice that led to a generation of children with high self-esteem... so high it eclipsed personal responsibility and created a "me-first" mentality. On the other hand, most of us are taught that thinking highly of ourselves is a vain, selfish and undesirable trait.

Advice telling us to feel better about ourselves and occasionally put us first seems counter-intuitive at best. After all, isn't self-love the first step on the road to Ego Central? Many people want to feel good about themselves, but guilt too often rears its ugly head and stops healthy self-esteem from developing.

Because of these conflicting viewpoints, self-esteem is a tricky little emotion to manipulate. It's important to strike a balance between modesty and greed. It takes practice to convince yourself that you are a worthwhile and deserving person, while at the same time keeping in mind that you're not the centre of the universe. Though it may sound impossible, it's actually simple to accomplish.