Mick's up with the Positive

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive:

Debbie Downer, Negative Nellie, Gloomy Gus, or however they are affectionately known by you, they are there.  We’ve  all heard them, and we’ve all been them at one time or another.

Good news!  This is the month to set them free! 

These poor souls don’t need to be shackled by their misery any more. 

Why? 

It’s Positive Attitude Month!

Encouragement:  

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” (C. S. Lewis)

Do you wonder if you are considered successful?  Take some advice from author/poet Maya Angelou, as she reassures us, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

Are you feeling like you’re stuck or too stressed with all that you’re trying to accomplish, take some advice from Chris Brown of Stewardship.com (host of the podcast Chris Brown’s True Stewardship).  He encourages, “Getting distracted? Happening often? Go back to the mission. Go back to your goals. Go from there.” 

He also reminds us, “Joy is rooted in our hearts, not our circumstances.  So we get to choose joy, because it’s a product of who we are, not where we are.”

As we grow, we have the opportunity to gain wisdom, and then with that wisdom, improve our character.  Well-known poet, Robert Frost, puts it beautifully, when he says, “Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.”

Challenge:  One Day with No Complaints  

Yowzers.  Have you ever tried that?  It’s not easy.  The Stewardship Team at Stewardship.com authors the blog article by the same name as the aforementioned challenge.  They encourage us with the thought, “Control what you can, even if the only thing you manage to change is your attitude.”  Ask yourself how you really feel.  Then mean what you say.

Remember, the most difficult battle you will face today is with yourself.  So, give yourself a break.

Your attitude adjustment just might be the only thing that helps you survive in this world of stress.  When you’re surrounded by others who haven’t gotten the message yet about Positive Attitude Month, keep smiling.  ;)  We can’t make people change.  As Andrew Carnegie says, “You cannot push anyone up the ladder, unless he is willing to climb.”

Parting Thoughts:  

Most importantly, remember who you are!  Better yet, remember whose you are.  You are a child of God!

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” 

Philippians 4:8