How you respond to How are You reveals a great deal about you."Hi! How are you?" "Not bad, you?"
How many times have you started a conversation this way? I'll bet you do it nearly every time you say hello. We have been trained to cultural activity of inquiring of our friends and acquaintances well being, even if we don't really care. It's civil thing to do. But I'm going to focus on your response to this ubiquitous question.
Last month I introduced PINT concept (Put It iN Thought), now I'm going to expand this concept to how it can begin to really make a change in your daily life. If you remember, PINT makes thoughts reality. When we extend what we say as reflection of what we are thinking PINT becomes our reality.
Now if I respond to ever present "how are you?" question with something like "OK, I guess" then I am reflecting indecision or even negative thoughts about how I feel or even who I think I am. If I respond with "Man, my shoulder is really killing me this morning. I must have slept on it wrong again." Then I am letting my physical condition rule my mental condition. Hurt and pain are negative impulses made to inform us of a dangerous or inappropriate activity. It is negative response to a negative activity. You body is saying 'Quit that, it hurts!'
I'm going out on a limb here for a bunch of you, but I have proven this over and over again in my own life. Over past two years I have purposefully changed how I respond to this simple question. I always answer with a positive. I'm not just great, I'm Fantastic, Happy, Gigantic or even Awesome. You see when I overcome physical and emotional aches and pains with a positive response I begin to feel better. It's just putting PINT into practice. Thoughts become reality after all. Your non-conscious brain doesn't know difference.