You've got to accentuate the positive...

Eliminate the negative and latch on to the affirmative and don't mess with Mr. In Between.

I always loved that song, but never really paid attention to what it was actually saying until recently. I think that the way we respond to life directly depends on how we perceive what happens to us. If we have a negative attitude, the main thing we see is all the negative things that happen in our life. If we have a positive attitude, we open ourselves up to good things happening.

Think about it. When you wake up in a foul mood, the day is pretty much shot. Don't we always say, "It's Murphy's Law." "I'm late. Of course, I hit every red light." "Why do these things always happen to me?" I used to think that when we have a negative attitude, we draw negative things to ourselves, but it's more than that. It is like a self-fulfilling prophecy. We create our own reality in this. It's like, once we are in a foul mood, we want to continue it. We're affronted. We start looking for everything that is bothering us. When we do that, even minor things that we could normally shrug off, become bigger.

Instead, let's try the reverse. Start looking for the gift in every bad situation. Start the day off happy and see where that takes you. Now that I have set time aside to be thankful every night, I find myself more aware of the good things during the day. I'm noticing them so I can remember to be thankful later. I've been much happier lately. I go through my day looking for the next good thing and it always comes. I've put myself into the positive, so I see positive things. I am open to all of life's gifts large and small.

Everything that happens to us can be viewed as a curse, a gift, or something in between. Let's eliminate the curse, get rid of the in between and concentrate on the gift!