Theme of the Week: Positive Thinking
“As your habitual thoughts are, so becomes the character of your mind; the soul is shaped by what it dwells on.” - Marcus Aurelius
Brother,
Marcus Aurelius reminds us that the quality of our mind is shaped by the quality of our habitual thoughts. What we repeatedly think, we become.
During cancer, I was surrounded by challenges and uncertainty. It was everything - the diagnosis, the treatment, the tests, the side effects. It all left me with countless “what if” thoughts. And it needed to stop. I was becoming someone who was unequipped to manage the challenge ahead of me.
When I realized this, I realigned with my stoic values, and particularly with the quote for this week. Then, I made a decision: not one more second would be spent dwelling on "what if" thoughts and worrying about negative outcomes.
Hal Elrod, a cancer survivor who faced a similar blood cancer diagnosis, described his approach as “unwavering faith.” I adopted that framework. I filled my hospital room with affirmations. Even when I didn't feel like it, I told myself: "you are as hard as nails."
Every time a negative thought surfaced, I consciously replaced it with a more constructive one. It was not denial. It was discipline. The mental battle through cancer is relentless, so I decided that my habitual thoughts needed to support me instead of sabotage me.
At first, this required constant awareness. I had to catch and redirect my thinking repeatedly throughout the day. Over time, it became more natural and eventually habitual. My subconscious began to default to positive thinking the majority of the time.
Everyone faces challenges. Positive thinking is not pretending life is easy; it is a deliberate choice that shapes your outlook, strengthens your resilience, and influences your ability to move forward.
This week, lets try to look for the positive.
Stay strong, even when you are not. It’s okay, you are not alone.
With love always,
Michael Argyrides
