Positive is as Positive Does

     Psalm 66:1 says it all, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." I had a wonderful opportunity this past week to work with a tremendous cadre of educational leaders in our school district. A small part of the work they are undertaking is a challenge I presented to this group which was to take the visible, positive energy they exude and to instill it in and among their colleagues, students, and communities. Alongside standards alignment, testing data, creating effective Professional Learning Communities, and striving for excellence for every child every day, the initiative I invoked may have appeared to be of small coincidence to the matters at hand, yet in today's Flat Tire Ministries Thought I am suggesting that the mindset you bring to the table whether you are an educator, line worker, business manager, parent, friend, or whatever other role you might carry, will have a direct impact on your success or ultimate demise.
     I recently read an insightful book, "The Positive Dog", by Jon Gordon of which the premise is two dogs that land in the animal shelter and the lessons one dog teaches the other about the power of positive thinking. The story goes on to explain that each of us has a positive dog and a negative dog inside us. Which dog will grow and eventually dominate our life's perspective is the one we feed the most. Feed the negative dog a bad attitude, a poor, pitiful me perspective, and the negative dog will thrive in your life. On the other hand, promote a positive diet of good attitudes and positive habits in your daily routine and ultimately the positive dog will thrive and grow into a strong and faithful companion.
     "That's easy for you to say, you don't know my circumstances." That's right I don't, yet I do know and can almost guarantee you that if you look around where you live, you will be able to find someone or several someones that have a great deal more to deal with in life than you. I'd like to offer you just a couple of ways that you can begin to feed your positive perspective and begin to starve out the "Negative Ned" in your life and the lives of those you come in contact with each day.
     Perception is a sharp, two-edged sword. Each morning when you wake up you set the stage for your day. Around the world, if you could hear people as they wake, they are either saying, "Oh my gosh, really?? Is it already time to get up and go to work? I didn't sleep worth a dime last night, and my back and neck are killing me!" OR if you listen more intently you can hear others that are jumping out of bed, proclaiming how fortunate they are to be able to rise each morning. They realize there are men and women, boys and girls around the world that will not be able to get out of a bed today due to medical or health reasons. Then you'll hear them say, "You know what? In an hour or two I've got to be at work, but I am thankful that I have a job and I am healthy and capable of providing an income that provides me with the ability to pay for my home, buy the food we need to live, and my job also gives me a chance to to make my world a better place to live." If you listen closely, you'll hear them saying, "This is the day that you have given me Lord, let me rejoice and be glad in it." (See the June 25th post for more on that mindset)
     Another way to nurture your positive energy is to take a grateful walk each day. Think about three things you are thankful for be it people, possessions, health, quality of life, your faith, whatever it is you have to be grateful for in your life. Now take a break from what needed to be done thirty minutes ago and reflect on those three things. When I do this it works out like this. Let's say I start thinking about how thankful I am for my new position as the career and technical supervisor for our school district. Well that usually leads me to be thankful for the opportunities to impact students, educators, and our community through my efforts. Then I start thinking about the education I received that has ultimately put me in a position to be qualified for this job. That leads me to a place where I start thinking about how thankful I was to have a set of parents like Joe E. and Martha Carter that exemplified a hard work ethic and impeccable character traits that have molded my life forever. Well I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture, it's hard to be negative when you concentrate on all we have that money can't buy.
     The last suggestion is a simple one and it is one I shared with our Learning Leader cohort I mentioned at the beginning of today's blog. (Shout out to the Hamblen County Learning Leader Team, your positive energy filled the room and I can't wait to see what you will accomplish in your schools this year!) I made a request of our team that was not or should not be that much of a challenge, I asked them to SMILE! When you sincerely smile it causes positive energy to physically expand inside your brain and it impacts others in the same way. Once you start smiling you will change your day and most importantly you will change the day of the person on the receiving end of your smile. Let your positive energy energize those you live with, work with, and come in contact with each day. Make a joyful noise and let your positive energy flow!
Go out and do something amazing today! Live your life! Coach Carter