The Positive Dog: A Story About the Power of Positivity

Tell Yourself Positive Stories

The rain poured down as Bubba and Matt walked around the yard the next morning. “So how do you like the rain?” Bubba asked.

“Oh, I love it,” Matt said enthusiastically. “I love getting all wet and then shaking the water off my body.”

“I feel the same way. I also love how the rain cleanses everything. But you know, not everyone feels the way we do,” Bubba said while pointing to another dog across the yard. “See Niro over there. He hates the rain. Always yells and gets angry when it rains—grumbles that he's all wet and sticky.”

“It's interesting that two dogs can experience the same event and perceive it very differently,” Matt said.

“Yep,” said Bubba. “One dog loves the rain; the other dog hates it. Their perspectives determine their thoughts, feelings, and, ultimately, how they act for the rest of the day. It's like that with everything in life. How we perceive people, events, and situations determines our reality. That's why I often say that we don't live our lives based on reality. Nope. We live our lives based on our perspective and our perception of reality.”

“That's why it's so important to develop a positive perspective, isn't it?” said Matt, knowing he had experienced the impact of a positive perspective firsthand. When he laughed and smiled, he changed his perspective from negative to positive. When he practiced gratitude throughout the day, instead of complaining about everything, he saw the world through the eyes of gratitude and it changed ...