Thoughts are inseparable friends, our lifelong companions. According to Nelson Mandela, "Thinking is one of the most important weapons in dealing with problems." However, overthinking leads to problems as similar thoughts attract. So, when you brood, a vicious web starts to weave which contaminates inner peace, resulting in thought pollution. Thought pollution is often seen as the root cause of many problems because a foul mind cannot think or thank properly. Negativity is not inbuilt in us; it rises from pride and jealousy which instigate us to see the world as 'I’ and ‘Mine', and once ego starts controlling our mind; the world becomes a blur. Not only does this affect others around us, but the pessimism destroys our mind and body in the long run.

There are hundreds of instances in our daily life that point towards one conclusion: the environment of an institution affects the performance of the people. That said, if a handful of people working in an organization have a corrupt mind, they surely can influence others negatively, ensuing the downfall of that place. This is because negativity is a stronger emotion that spreads like a wildfire. As teenagers, we are constantly under a lot of pressure, but the solution is to deal with it; not to succumb to the situation.

Therefore, negative influencers can meddle with our conscience and force us to take wrong decisions. Elders usually say, 'Your thoughts determine your destiny'. Well, they aren't wrong! To justify this, I often bethink of a story narrated to me by my badminton coach, 'once a man, after being locked in a room was informed that he was fed poison. Within 24 hours the man died. On conducting the autopsy, not a single drop of poison was found.' Such is the power of thoughts!

 The universe responds to different thoughts in distinct ways. In his famous book 'The Magic of Thinking Big', David Schwartz narrated an incident of his wife. She left her house in a huff and met with an accident. According to Schwartz, the pessimistic attitude was the cause of this unfortunate event. Therefore, what you think has a definite effect on you: I was exercising a great deal, doing everything possible to have a picture-perfect body, but, alas! My hard work was not reaping results. Why? Because I was body shaming myself and was oblivious of the fact that thoughts come to reality.

Therefore, it is high time we understand and eradicate thought pollution. To do so, we need to practice appreciation and forgiveness. Appreciation subdues the fire of ego and helps us to think with a clear mind while forgiveness in itself is rising above our pride. This can help us achieve happiness because right thoughts lead to right feelings, right feelings lead to right emotions, right emotions lead to right actions and right actions lead to right results.