Practise Positive Thinking

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:  but a broken spirit drieth the bones." (Proverbs 17:22)

"You are the driver of your bus," says one blogger.  "Fuel your ride with positive energy."  Positivity produces energy.  It increases your faith in your abilities.  It inspires others to be positive.  It boosts your mood and your immune system, making you a happier and healthier individual.  

How do you become a more positive person?  You make a conscious choice to think positive thoughts.  When negative thoughts enter your head, you replace them with positive ones.  You repeat daily affirmations to reassure yourself.  You visualize a positive outcome.  

Get in the habit of smiling and laughing on a daily basis.  Help others unselfishly and feel good about yourself.  Practise an attitude of gratitude; count your blessings, especially the small ones.  Surround yourself with positive people.  Remain open to change and to learning.  

Be a winner.  Vince Lombardi, a former football coach, says:  "Get in the habit of winning."  He used to focus on not just winning regular season games, but also pre-season games to get his team in the habit of winning.  A winner gets accustomed to thinking like a winner, of expecting a positive outcome.

In 1932, Minister Norman Vincent Peale arrived in New York City to a position at the Marble Collegiate Church.  He faced a big problem from the start, however:  its pews were almost empty. Undeterred, Dr. Peale starting practising positive thinking, envisioning a full church every week. Over time, his strategy brought hundreds of parishioners into his church, boosting its membership from 600 to 5,000.  Dr. Peale remained at Marble Collegiate Church for 52 years.

In 1952, Dr. Peale wrote the infamous book, The Power of Positive Thinking at http://www.amazon.ca/Discovering-Positive-Thinking-Norman-Vincent/dp/8122204120.  The publication was so well received by the public that it remained on the bestseller list for 186 consecutive weeks, was translated into 15 languages and sold 5 million copies.  The world hungers for a positive message.  

Source:  www.successconsciousness.com

Note:  For more information about The Power of Positive Thinking, read my post at http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2012/04/power-of-positive-thinking.html.

Marble Collegiate Church courtesy http://www.nycago.org/Organs/NYC/html/MarbleCollegiate.html.

Thank You, Dorothy, That was Delicious!

"Develop an attitude of gratitude and give thanks for everything that happens to you..." (Brian Tracy)

On Boxing Day, we were sitting at my parents' dining room table digesting a second Christmas dinner when my sister Laurie asked:  "Why Dad do you never thank Mom for a delicious dinner?  It doesn't matter whether she feeds you a turkey dinner with all the trimmings or wieners and beans, you never say thank you." (paraphrased)

I pointed out that that was not the case with our Grandad Tufts.  As Mom said:  "Whenever Grandad ate a meal, he would say to Grandma:  'Thank you very much, Dorothy, that was delicious.'  Grandma could make him two peas and he would say:  'Thank you very much, Dorothy, that was delicious.'" Grandad practised gratitude.  Not surprisingly, he was a happy person.  And he lived a long life.    

According to motivational guru Zig Zigler, without gratitude, happiness is rare.  When we neglect to require our children to say please and thank you, to be aware of their blessings, their is a much greater chance we will raise unhappy children.  Zig Zigler, one of eleven children, was dirt poor.  He lost his father at the tender age of six.  His mother, however, always made sure that her children knew that she loved them and that God loved them.  She also taught them a strong work ethic.  "Her formula of work, love and faith made their difficult lives easier," according to Zigler.

Zigler suffered a family tragedy when his young daughter Suzan passed away as a child.  At the funeral, even though he was grieving, he said:  "We have no regrets.  She knew we loved her."  The bereaved father, shook hands and smiled at the guests, even offering others solace.  Zigler never neglected to count his blessings.  

Something as simple as keeping a gratitude journal can make us aware of our blessings.  And we don't have to wait for the big things in life to make us happy; we can rejoice in the small things. Publicist Malcolm Margolin talked about making an observation during a rainstorm:  "The sight of hundreds of blades of grass bowing down and popping back up like piano keys strikes me as one of the merriest sights in the world."  

Gratitude doesn't just make us happier but also healthier, building our immunity system, strengthening our heart and improving our sleep habits.  So, the next time your wife cooks you a turkey dinner (or wieners and beans), take the time to say thank you.  You'll be a happier person because of it (so will your wife).

For more information read Attitudes of Gratitude by M.J. Ryan at http://www.amazon.com/Attitudes-Gratitude-10th-Anniversary-Ed/dp/1573244112.

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