The Positive Dog: A Story About the Power of Positivity

Introduction

I'm not a naturally positive person. People think I am because of the books I write, but the truth is I have to work really hard at being positive. I'm a student first and a teacher second, and the student in me tries to learn and practice everything I teach. In fact, many years ago in my quest to be more positive I read all of the research in the emerging field of positive psychology and ultimately wrote a book to help people cultivate more positivity and energy in just 10 minutes a day.

Long before books such as The Happiness Advantage, Happiness Project, Stumbling on Happiness, and Positivity, I created a positive energy plan that I implemented in my own life and shared with others. Robert Emmons, the leading researcher on the impact of gratitude and a major contributor to the field of positive psychology, wrote this about my book, The 10 Minute Energy Solution: “Drawing on the latest scientific research, Gordon convincingly makes the case for an evidence based approach for energetic living. Just reading the book increased my energy.”

However, for several reasons, including the title, the book didn't reach as many people as I hoped. I remember being at a book fair to sign copies and sitting next to me was John Grogan who was signing copies of his book Marley and Me. I had 10 people in line. He had hundreds of people in a line that stretched outside the building. At the time I smiled and thought, “One day I'm going to write a story about a dog that becomes more positive.” ...