Think “Positive Thinking”

My first full-time job after college was with a Cleveland division of a major national corporation (no longer in business) headquartered in Akron, Ohio.

I don’t think it took me more than three or four months on the job to realize that corporate life was not all that it was cracked up to be. After all, I was a hotshot kid with new ideas and a drive to make a mark. The seven other people in the marketing department were all within seven years of retirement. They wanted security. I wanted adventure… and to make a name for myself!

Over the months that followed my frustration with the job grew. That ultimately led me to accept an invitation by a friend and neighbor to attend an Amway meeting.

Although I never “signed on” to the Amway program, it certainly opened the door to two critical revelations.

The first eye-opener was the importance and power of positive thinking. I will tell you that when my friend handed me a copy of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking following that Amway meeting, I scoffed. I didn’t need this! Or did I? I read the book and then read it again. I was a changed man! I discovered that while I was already naturally “positive,” I had a long way to go… and there was much to learn.

The second revelation pertained to the value of surrounding oneself with people who are positive. It’s hard to win when we surround ourselves with people who believe they will lose. Throughout the years, I’ve learned to quickly distinguish positive people from those who are negative… in business as well as in my choice of friends.

I can’t think of anything more important to your success than to adhere to the same plan. Positive thinking and positive people make the difference between success and failure.

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“People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.”

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale