Nothing in the entire Universe is stronger than the power of love or sadly, more misunderstood. Love in its many forms is what keeps us together as people – love for each other, love for our children and love for someone really special – emotions that can create intense joy and pain, all at the same time.

Many confuse love and positive thinking. They are of course very similar but both have a distinct set of subtle rules. True love is unconditional and all-embracing while positive thinking relies on an individual’s power to influence the Law of Attraction.

My apologies if this is beginning to sound a little complicated but I needed to make the distinction that while you can use positive thinking to attract love, it has no power to force another individual to love you.

When relationships falter many people mistakenly believe that they can embrace positive thinking to win that person back. The very fact that you have become more positive and ready to change might convince them that you are worth another try, but if love has really died then it is unlikely to be repaired.

Once you have overcome the shock of such a split you can of course then use positive thinking to attract love again. Regular readers will be aware of the process of attraction and will happily let the Universe sort out the details – and I will come back to this later in the article.

Love however can and does create intense emotions. Thoughts can quickly turn to hate and self-loathing and when this happens your life becomes negative. In extreme cases depression and hopelessness can kick in and a downward spiral begins.

This is when you must really embrace positive thinking because if this is you then you must begin to love yourself first before you can move on. All those negative thoughts such as guilt and going over what might have been must be consigned to the past – you cannot change what’s happened and as already stated – you cannot force another to love you.

So what’s it to be? Are you going to sit there and wallow in your own self-pity or are you going to set about rebuilding your life by coming to terms with the past and by mapping out a new future for yourself?

If all of this is very new at the moment, then of course you must give yourself a break. It’s quite natural to grieve over what might have been and to miss someone who has been a real and special part of your life.

It could be that you are feeling betrayed by the circumstances and possible lies that lead to the split which is resulting in anger and thoughts of revenge. Enjoy the moment if it helps but remember you cannot move on until such thoughts are replaced.

But let’s assume that your break up is now well in the past. Let’s take a close look at you, because if you are now ready to use powerful positive thinking to rebuild your life we have to take care of a few basics to begin with – like restoring your confidence and self-esteem.

How are you looking at the moment? Have you let yourself go? What about the place you are living in – is that how you want others to see it? When was the last time you did something for you? When was the last time you contacted old friends or bought yourself new clothes?

Are you getting the idea – if something – and we are talking about you here – looks good then it’s already half sold. I don’t mean to refer to you as a product you buy in a shop, but if you are looking in the mirror and you don’t like what you see, then you have to take these essential first steps.

Let’s assume you have taken those steps and wow! You are looking good and now you can begin to practice positive thinking. You can begin to attract new people into your life and new opportunities. I refer you to other blogs on this site where you write down your specification for your new life and the actions needed to make those changes.

Those actions might include joining a club or other social organisation, taking up new hobbies, changing your job, may be even checking out a dating website – whatever makes you feel good. By taking such actions you will be helping the Universe deliver your new life – or of course you can just sit back and feel sorry for yourself and do nothing at all.

It’s your call because only you have the power to move on and only you can make those vital changes – so what’s stopping you?