The Positive Dog

Your Inner Dogs

Two totally different dogs live within you. One is an optimistic, happy, smiling pup. The other is a sad, resentful, scowling cur. Your decision about which dog to entertain will determine whether you will be happy or unhappy, how you will visualize the world, and how the world will perceive you.

Thinking positively doesn’t mean just latching onto happy-go-lucky thoughts. Scientific research from the field of positive psychology indicates that the more optimistic you try to become, the happier you will be and the better you will feel about your life. Negative people suffer more stress-related illnesses and more problems at work than their positive counterparts. Negative employees can turn off customers, who may never return. A negative co-worker can make life difficult for everyone in an office and may earn general dislike. In fact, research indicates that “90% of anxiety at work is created by 5% of one’s network – the people who sap energy.”

Studies prove that several benefits accrue to people with positive attitudes:

• They enjoy longer lives than negative people and incur fewer illnesses brought on by tension and worry. In one study...