University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Positive Dog
Book

The Positive Dog

A Story About the Power of Positivity

Jon Gordon
Wiley, 2012
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Positivity author, consultant, trainer and frequent public speaker Jon Gordon has written another touching book. Its transformative message: If you make an effort to be happy by embracing positivity, your life will vastly improve. Do you want some relevant anecdotal evidence? During the 2007 National Football League season, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio gave his football players copies of Gordon’s book The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy. The result? Four wins in a row and a wildcard play-off win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Several Jaguars players credited Gordon’s writings with inspiring the team. In this journey into positivity, the protagonists are not quarterbacks, they’re puppies, but the message is the same: Accentuate the positive. getAbstract recommends Gordon’s upbeat pooch tale to followers of happiness literature, who will love this parable, and to anyone who wants to learn a few ways to see the bright side, even those who are a little dubious about the dogs.

Summary

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...

About the Author

Jon Gordon is a consultant, trainer, public speaker and the author of The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, The Shark and the Goldfish, The Seed, and Training Camp.

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