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