Be a Dog with a Bone: always go for your dreams by Peggy McColl, 2003.
For years we have celebrated man’s best friend and his zealous love for life. This business fable teaches us to take a second look at our pets and discover the lessons they can teach us. Do you have a “glass is half full” personality? If so, this book will take you farther, teach you to reach for more. If not, the anecdotes will encourage you to pick up that glass and look again. Your trustworthy pet can teach you to discover your dream, identify those actions that will move you toward your goals, and eliminate the thoughts and actions that will prevent you from reaching those goals.
by Mike Robbins, Jossey-Bass/John Wiley and Sons, 2007.
Negativity is everywhere around us. We get it from the time we get up until the end of the day; it comes from the media, our jobs, our family and friends. Unfortunately we focus on the negative and communicate that way rather than focusing on the good stuff we encounter daily.
Mike Robbins shares ways we can learn to refocus on the good and learn to get around the negative influences. The five powerful principles of appreciation are:
1. Be grateful
2. Choose positive thoughts and feelings
3. Use positive words
4. Acknowledge others
5. Appreciate yourself
Mike Robbins uses questions and exercises to help us explore the positive influences and reduce the influence of negativity on our lives. We create our own reality and can choose whether we focus on the good around us or allow the negativity to control our outlook.
The five steps to transform your negativity are:
1. Acknowledge all of your negative thoughts and feelings
2. Create a clean slate
3. Change your physical or emotional state
4. Verbalize and visualize what you want
5. Let it all go
By focusing on the positive and constantly finding ways to show appreciation for ourselves and others we can improve our outlook and learn to view everything as an opportunity to grow and learn. Appreciation for ourselves is the first step to being a positive influence for others and helping others to learn to give and get appreciation and not negativity every day.
