Meet The Neighbors

Positivity
My father used to have a picture of a Basset Hound (the saddest looking dog in the world) hanging in his office with the caption “Act enthusiastic and you’ll be enthusiastic.”  Dad was the consummate positive thinker and I have benefited greatly from his example.

Acting positively isn’t a game or a trick.  It really works.  While I am not suggesting that you discount reality, I am suggesting that when we approach life with a positive attitude things generally work out better.  Be a “glass is half full” kind or person and be a positive force to those around you.
 Hopeful 
Hopeful is positivity’s next door neighbor.  Hopeful says:

• It is going to be a good day. 
• Things are going to go well at today’s board meeting.
• I will have the wisdom to know how to act if something goes wrong.
• What may break can be fixed.
• Even though I didn’t sleep, well I will have the energy I need for the day.

Hope looks forward to a good outcome, hopefully.

Author and entrepreneur Jack Canfield has some great insight on the matter.  "Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them."

Pressing on and on and on...

Perseverance 
What are your core principles?  One of mine is to never give up. I am grateful that perseverance is somehow resident deep in my soul.  Winston Churchill had it too.  Remember the famous line in his speech where he said “never, never, never give up”?

When we, like Churchill, are experiencing overwhelming attack or bad odds we must keep our face square into the wind and press on.  Showing persistence will also encourage those who look to us.  Seeing our example, they are likely to mimic our perseverance and display this character quality to those they interact with.  

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich put it this way; “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did."

To Tell the Truth 
I remember the first time I experienced injustice.  It was when the grumpy old man at the end of my boyhood street accused me of throwing a rock at his house.  It seems that a few of the neighbor kids has committed the heinous act and conspired to blame it on me.  When he accused me I felt indignation such as I had never experienced.  I had received injustice!

Superman was known for his mantra “truth, justice and the American way.”  Let’s be “super people” and known as lovers of truth and justice and let’s demonstrate that to those near us.  We also should be known as people who give others the benefit of the doubt because sometimes we don’t know or can’t get all the facts. 

Mark Twain seemed to have something to say about everything.  On the subject of “truth” he advised, "Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please."