Yesterday I mentioned that I'd share why trying to "think positive" can be so challenging for many people.

Here's the thing that most self-help gurus won't tell you: positive thinking only works when your brain is already in the right state to receive it.

It's like trying to plant seeds in frozen ground. The intention is good, but the conditions aren't right for anything to actually grow.

Let me explain what I mean.

When you're stressed, anxious, or in a negative mental state, your brain is operating at a higher frequency - what researchers call "beta" brainwaves. In this state, your mind is hyperactive, jumping from thought to thought, often focusing on problems and potential threats.

Now, when someone tells you to "just think positive" while you're in this state, you're essentially trying to force calm, peaceful thoughts into a brain that's electrically wired for alertness and problem-detection.

It's like trying to play a lullaby on a radio that's tuned to a heavy metal station. The message might be soothing, but it's getting drowned out by all the electrical noise.

This is why affirmations and positive thinking techniques work great for some people and feel completely useless to others. It's not about willpower or how "positive" you are as a person. It's about what frequency your brain happens to be operating at when you try them.

Think about the last time you were really relaxed - maybe on vacation, or right after a good workout, or during a peaceful moment in nature. In that state, positive thoughts probably came naturally. You didn't have to force them.

That's because your brain was operating at a lower, more receptive frequency - what researchers call "alpha" or "theta" brainwaves. In these states, your mind is naturally more open, creative, and optimistic.

The people who swear by positive thinking and affirmations are usually the ones who naturally spend more time in these receptive brainwave states. For them, positive thoughts take root easily because the soil is already prepared.

But if you're someone who tends to operate in higher stress frequencies most of the time, trying to think your way into a better mood can feel like pushing a boulder uphill. You're working against your brain's electrical patterns instead of with them.

This explains why traditional therapy can take so long to show results. You're trying to change thought patterns while the underlying brain chemistry stays the same. It's possible, but it requires tremendous effort and consistency.

Here's what researchers have found to be more effective: change the brain state first, then introduce the positive concepts.

When your brain is operating at a calm, receptive frequency, positive ideas don't feel forced or fake. They feel natural and believable. Your mind is literally more open to receiving and integrating new patterns of thinking.

It's like the difference between trying to have a deep conversation at a loud party versus having that same conversation in a quiet coffee shop. Same words, completely different environment for receiving the message.

This is why ancient practices like meditation have been around for thousands of years. They weren't trying to force positive thoughts - they were creating the optimal brain state first, then allowing natural wisdom and clarity to emerge.

But traditional meditation can take years to master, and many people find it difficult to quiet their minds long enough to reach those deeper states.

That's where modern neuroscience comes in. Researchers have found that you can guide your brain into these optimal states much more quickly using specific audio frequencies. Instead of spending years learning to meditate, you can experience the same brainwave patterns within minutes.

Once your brain is in that receptive state, everything else becomes easier. 

Positive thoughts don't feel forced - they arise naturally. Solutions to problems become more obvious. Stress doesn't grip you as tightly.

You're not trying to override your brain's natural patterns anymore. You're working with them.

If you've ever felt frustrated that positive thinking doesn't seem to work for you, you're not broken. You just need to tune your brain to the right frequency first.

I've found something that demonstrates exactly how this works, using the kind of advanced brainwave entrainment technology we talked about yesterday.

Check it out here → 

Tomorrow I'll share the fascinating reason why some people seem naturally lucky while others struggle (hint: it has nothing to do with luck).

Understanding this completely changed how I approach any kind of personal development. Instead of fighting against my current mental state, I learned to shift the state first.

Everything else flows from there.