We don’t often approach the problem this way. Should we go full speed into affirmations, or should we try to put a hard freeze on the negativity that we all spew out both overtly and unconsciously?  

I think many folks might be surprised that the research overwhelmingly reports the real game-changer isn’t more positive thinking.

It’s less negative thinking.

That might sound like the same thing, but it’s not.
Positive thinking is like putting premium fuel in your tank.
Negative thinking? That’s like driving with the handbrake on…and pulling a 1000 pound boulder uphill.

Here’s the kicker — according to Pritchett, most of us are completely unaware of about 70% of our negative thoughts. They slip in under the radar disguised as “being realistic,” “venting,” or “just worrying a little.”

You know the type:

• “This weather is awful.”
• “I’ll never get through my inbox.”
• “My boss is going to hate this presentation.”
• “We can’t keep the lead.”

These aren’t just harmless comments. They’re micro-negativities — tiny electrical shorts in your mental circuitry. One or two a day won’t kill performance. But a constant current of them undermines teams, leaders and entire cultures accelerating burn out.

The Business Case for “Less Negative”

A few years ago, Toyota was struggling with innovation in its North American plants. The issue wasn’t skill — they had the talent. It wasn’t systems — their processes were airtight. The problem was mindset.

Leaders discovered that employees were constantly talking about what couldn’t be done:

“We’ve tried that before.”
“Corporate will never approve it.”
“That’s not how we do things here.”

Nothing malicious was being said -- just habitual pessimism — death by a thousand small doubts.

So, Toyota tried something radical: they trained teams to eliminate negative language. No more complaining without solutions. No gossiping about what’s wrong.

Within six months, the number of employee-led improvement ideas tripled. The innovation scorecards spiked because they stopped letting negativity block the signals.

Sometimes progress doesn’t come from adding more fuel. It comes from releasing the brake and letting go of the boulder you are pulling.

The Science of Why It Works

Every time you perseverate on negative thoughts, your body floods with cortisol, narrowing your focus and reducing creativity. You literally become less intelligent under stress.

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Negativity

Here’s the trap I am guilty of being a part of as a leader. I sometimes think negativity (like preparing for the worst) will protect myself from heartache. “If I expect the worst, I won’t be disappointed.”

Wrong. What you focus on expands. Your brain is a prediction machine. Tell it the world is full of problems, and it’ll start spotting them everywhere — even when they’re not there.

Imagine a salesperson heading into a pitch thinking, “They’re probably not interested.”

Guess what? They’ll subconsciously rush, downplay enthusiasm, and exit before they hear the real objection. Then they’ll tell themselves, “See? I knew they weren’t interested.”

That’s not intuition. That’s a self-fulfilling prophecy dressed as realism.

Neuroscientists call this Confirmation Bias. You find evidence for what you already believe. Leaders stuck in that loop don’t just lower their own ceiling — they build one for everyone around them.

Don’t aim to “be positive all the time.”
Aim to catch and stop one negative thought TODAY.

It sometimes helps to get up and move when you notice that negative thought. Literally, get away from it. If you’re in your seat at a meeting, take a sip of water and cleanse your mind of it, or pick up your pen and draw an ‘X’ in your notes to cancel it out. Adding a physical cue to the thought stopping can help you draw your attention away from it more effectively.

You might not control every thought — but you can choose which ones get to stay.

When you do that, you won’t just think more positively —
you’ll lead more powerfully, perform more consistently, and live more freely.