| A while back, I took my boys to the neighborhood pool. | | | | immediate smile on my face.I then went to the grocery |
| They were excited because the pool had just opened | | | | store to pick up some milk, and saw aisle after aisle |
| for the season. When we got there, I quickly found | | | | filled with food, supplies, drinks and fresh produce. Now |
| some chairs near some acquaintances of ours, and as | | | | here was abundance and prosperity! I saw people |
| the boys swam, we started to chat.About 20 minutes | | | | chatting and smiling, and two children happily eating a |
| went by when I began to notice that everything my | | | | messy chocolate doughnut.I went back to the Post |
| friend talked about had a negative slant to it. First it | | | | Office and started to chat with the woman in front of |
| was complaining about a particular teacher at school, | | | | me who was mailing a package to her son in Iraq filled |
| then it was about the lack of time in life in general, and | | | | with things she thought they might need.I logged onto |
| on and on it went. She said nothing positive . all | | | | the Internet and received a wonderful email from a |
| negative, complaining about this and that. When she | | | | friend entitled "The Positive Side of Life." I then |
| got to politics, I decided that it was enough and quickly | | | | received an email from an old friend of mine whom I |
| excused myself and jumped into the pool.As I swam | | | | have known for over 30 years now. It always puts a |
| around the pool, I couldn't help but hear other | | | | smile on my face when I hear from her.As I was |
| conversations. Imagine my surprise when I found that | | | | leaving the house to pick up my boys from school, I |
| they too were mostly negative!!! Curious now, I walked | | | | saw my neighbor again. So I asked him how he was |
| over to the soda machine and said, "How are you?" to | | | | doing. He turned and looked at me with a big smile on |
| some other neighbors. Their reply? "Tired. You know | | | | his face and replied "No worries mate!". As I drove |
| how it goes." Not exactly negative, but certainly not | | | | away, I flipped on the radio and immediately heard a |
| positive either.So now I was REALLY curious! Was it | | | | song called "I'm on Top of the World!"That evening, I |
| just that it was the end of the week and everyone | | | | turned on the evening news, and heard an extremely |
| was tired and grumpy? I decided to test it, so for the | | | | beautiful story about a woman moving into her first |
| next few days I really paid attention to everything I | | | | home - built by the wonderful organization Habitat for |
| saw and heard to see how much negativity there | | | | Humanity. Then the weather came on and I was told |
| really was.Let me tell you I didn't have to try very | | | | that bright sunshine would be in our area for the next |
| hard.First I went to the grocery store. As I waited for | | | | few days. Later that evening, I watched a rerun from |
| the clerk to tally my groceries, I started chatting with | | | | that great show on ABC called Extreme Makeover |
| her and soon I was being told a story about when she | | | | Home Edition. In 7 days they completely change a |
| was in Japan. Since she's a blond, she complained that | | | | needy families home and life. What an act of |
| her trip was horrible because all they wanted to do | | | | kindness!Now there is a spiritual principle out there that |
| was touch her hair!That evening I switched on the | | | | says what you put your attention to grows. Certainly |
| evening news and was presented with 30 minutes of | | | | the case here!!! I put my attention to all the negative |
| rape, murder, robberies, drownings, child abductions and | | | | "stuff" that I was assaulted with for a few days and it |
| a story about Martha Stewart. In between these | | | | slammed into me so hard that I wanted to cry from it |
| heartwarming stores, I listened to commercials about | | | | all. It got so bad that I saw it everywhere I went. From |
| weight loss, adult ADD and a new drug that they said | | | | the grocery store to the post office to my own home. |
| everyone should take (but had some small side | | | | It could make a person seriously paranoid!!!!!!! When I |
| effects like nausea and sometimes death).Alrighty | | | | placed my attention on the positive, it grew too. It was |
| then!!!After the news, I flipped around and found more | | | | like it had suddenly stopped raining and the warm sun |
| heartwarming stores on television such as "Law and | | | | came out.So how do you remain positive, healthy and |
| Order", "ER" and "CSI Miami". All great shows but | | | | prosperous in a negative world? Here's what I do.1. |
| hardly positive. It seems I was surrounded by murder, | | | | Surround yourself with positive people. Treat others |
| rape and the dregs of society - all in primetime! I | | | | like you want to be treated -- positively! With positive |
| settled for a "Touched by an Angel" rerun and went to | | | | encouragement and thoughts!!!2. Read positive |
| bed.When I woke up the next morning, I continued to | | | | inspirational books3. TURN OFF THE NEWS as much |
| pay attention. The first thing on my agenda that | | | | as possible.4. Try and avoid newspapers, although you |
| morning was a visit to the post office. As I drove, I | | | | should scan the headlines so that you know what's |
| flipped on the radio to my favorite radio station and | | | | going on in the world5. Write down all the positive |
| what do I hear? I hear a woman singing the following | | | | things that have happened to you in the last month and |
| lyrics: "Wounds won't seem to heal, the pain is just too | | | | post them where you can see them. "See" your life as |
| real." I switched to another station.At the post office I | | | | a success!!! Don't "see" your life as a failure!!! Look at all |
| was greeted at the door by an identity theft poster. I | | | | the positive things that you've done!!!6. Put a positive |
| then went to Target to pick up a new bathing suit for | | | | inspirational poster over your desk. You can also put a |
| one of my sons and noticed that they had TV | | | | "plus" sign, or the words "stay positive" over your desk |
| monitors all over the place. As I looked at it, I saw a | | | | to remind you to be positive.7. Read some inspirational |
| story about how to prevent your child from being | | | | books like the new one from my friend Connie Domino |
| abducted.Are you seeing a pattern here? I am not | | | | called Develop Irresistible Attraction.8. Turn someone |
| making this up; it really happened.OK, let's try the | | | | else's negative day into a positive and help them |
| computer. Maybe that's better.After logging on, I took a | | | | out!Now please know that I am not telling you to blindly |
| look at my homepage at MSN and I saw a story | | | | ignore the reality of the world. I am telling you that you |
| about Al-Qaida, another about a woman found | | | | can see that reality and also see the POSITIVES as |
| strangled and a weather related story about a nasty | | | | well. The world can indeed be a cruel place. Crime, |
| tornado.And don't forget my email. I had my usual | | | | poverty and illness seem to be everywhere, but the |
| number of SPAM emails, which generally includes | | | | world can be a beautiful place filled with love, warmth, |
| sales pitches, porn and various offers about Viagra. | | | | compassion and prosperity.Do you see the glass as |
| Oh, and don't forget the email from Nigeria who wants | | | | half-full or half-empty?Negative things will happen in the |
| to wash one million dollars through my checking | | | | world. They happen to all of us! But look at it this way. |
| account and wants me to send him the number. Of | | | | Positive things will happen as well. Good things will |
| course he'll give me half.Uh huh. I totally believe | | | | happen to you. Joy will find you!It's goes back to the |
| you.Later that day, I went to get my mail and saw my | | | | law of physics ...1. Every action causes a reaction2. |
| neighbor outside doing some yard work. When I | | | | We attract like energySo if we put out negative |
| stopped to say hello he asked me how I was doing. | | | | thoughts and actions and constantly focus on the |
| So I replied "No worries mate, I am doing really great | | | | negative, we will ATTRACT negative back to us. It will |
| today!" (I just love that Australian expression). I really | | | | be all that we see!! Conversely, if we put out positive |
| don't think he was expecting me to say that because | | | | thoughts and try our best to see the positive, then we |
| he stopped what he was doing and looked at me like I | | | | will attract the positive back.We live in a negative |
| had just escaped from an insane asylum. I just laughed, | | | | world. So be it. I, however, refuse to be negative and |
| told him I would see him later and went into my | | | | will continue to try and remain positive as much as |
| house.When did it become politically incorrect to tell | | | | possible. I've had my share of bad times, trust me, I |
| people something positive??I have to tell you all that by | | | | wrote the book on that one. The good news is that I |
| the end of the second day I was physically feeling sick | | | | don't have to stay that way if I don't choose to. I |
| and incredibly tired. So tired I went to bed at 9:00 p.m. | | | | choose prosperity, love and compassion.I choose to |
| and asked my husband Ron to put the boys to bed. I | | | | look at the glass as half full, one day at a |
| just wanted to lie down and pull the covers way up | | | | time."Gratitude, like faith, is a muscle. The more you use |
| over my head and forget about it all.So what did I learn | | | | it, the stronger it grows, and the more power you have |
| from this little test? I learned that you can mess up | | | | to use it on your behalf. If you do not practice |
| your mind with this stuff! I felt like I had been dragged | | | | gratefulness, its benefaction will go unnoticed, and your |
| into a negative world filled with greed, fear and hatred. | | | | capacity to draw on its gifts will be diminished. To be |
| A world where you always lack money and never | | | | grateful is to find blessings in everything. This is the |
| achieve your life's dreams because you're too fat, too | | | | most powerful attitude to adopt, for there are |
| thin, too sick, going to be sick, need a job, lost a job, | | | | blessings in everything." - Alan CohenKatharine |
| and on and on it seemed to go.I felt that my brain had | | | | Giovanni has been a meeting/event planner and |
| been so saturated with negativity that I was in danger | | | | concierge for over 20 years and has set up five |
| of becoming physically sick! By the end of the second | | | | successful businesses: Meeting Planning Plus, Triangle |
| day I was yelling at my kids, bickering with my husband | | | | Concierge, NewRoad Publishing, XPACS and Triangle |
| and was generally grumpy to everyone.So I had a | | | | International. She is Triangle Concierge's senior trainer |
| huge bowl of ice cream (which I am convinced cures | | | | and speaker and is the author of their best-selling book |
| everything), took a hot bath and went to bed. The test | | | | "The Concierge Manual" as well as the author of the |
| was officially over. Two days was more than enough | | | | "In-House Concierge Manual". She is also the Chairman |
| for me.On the third day, I decided to visit the same | | | | of the Board of the International Concierge and Errand |
| places I had gone during the last two days to see | | | | Association. A dynamic public speaker, Katharine has |
| what positives I could find there. First, I went to the pool | | | | been a speaker at seminars and conferences around |
| and sat down in a chair. As I watched, I saw people | | | | the country, and has appeared on both radio and |
| laughing and smiling, and children playing in the pool with | | | | television. She is the author of the acclaimed |
| huge smiles on their face. The sound of happy children | | | | inspirational book "God, is that you? |
| playing is really one of life's greatest sounds and put an | | | | |