Everyone is entitled to feel sorry for themselves from time to time and thankfully most bugs and viruses quickly pass and you are soon back to normal, but for a good number of people illness and pain are a way of life. Getting up in the morning requires a massive effort and everything just hurts – and it seems as if it will never go away.

Unless you are on the receiving end then it is impossible to understand what it can be like for people in constant pain or for those who are suffering from debilitating or life threatening illnesses. They carry a daily burden, the hurt is etched on their faces and at first glance it would seem there is little anyone else can do to help.

So what has this got to do with positive thinking? Good question and one with a very easy answer. If you think hard enough we all know someone who remains cheerful and happy, refusing to let pain or illness hold them back.

We all know someone who has defied the odds by living longer and enjoying a better quality of life when all hope was lost simply by remaining positive and refusing to be beaten. There are also many documented cases of those who have been seemingly cured or in remission – putting down this miracle to the power of positive thinking.

And we all know people who remain upbeat and positive whatever life throws at them. There are millions of disabled who shame the rest of us on a daily basis with their can do attitude and refusal to be beaten. They just keep on smiling while the rest of us complain about our everyday aches and twinges.

The disabled cannot change their circumstances but most are determined to live life to the full and make the best of everything and there is a big message here for the rest of us. If you are always complaining about your state of health and how you feel then guess what – the Great Amazon of the Universe will keep on delivering more of the same.

If you groan and moan every time you get out of a chair, if you are constantly complaining how tired you are, how you can longer be bothered to try or do anything new, then you have let illness beat you and have significantly reduced the chances of ever getting better again.

But if you have adopted a powerful positive thinking attitude where you accept the pain and discomfort but are determined to remain strong and positive; if you use your imagination to visualise a time when you are feeling fitter and better and if you have resolved to take action to improve your health – then the Great Amazon of the Universe will receive a different more hopeful message – and things will change for the better.

Action means losing weight, stopping drinking or smoking – or both. Action means taking a little exercise, finding a new hobby, learning to be with positive friends. Action means doing something for you that will improve your life and those that love you and want to see you better.

You have a choice of course – you can continue to be that grumpy old man or woman. You can continue to alienate and upset everyone around you or you can choose to be inspired and spread happiness – it’s your life we are talking about here – and you can make a real difference, either way.

Of course, there are illnesses that cannot go away. They are terminal and no matter how positive you are, there are simply some things that cannot be beaten. But you can resolve to enjoy the time you have left, you can be determined to spread happiness and leave a legacy that marks you out as someone that lived life to the full.

I know which one I would choose.