The Positive Dog: A Story About the Power of Positivity

Two Positive Dogs are Better than One

A few months later, Matt woke up feeling thankful that he had a family that loved him. He thought about Bubba and all that he had learned about positivity at the shelter, and realized that being positive really is a choice and feeding the positive dog inside you is one of the most important choices you can make. He had become an expert at feeding the positive dog and starving the negative dog and continued to experience the positive benefits in his life. More fun, joy, love, health, and friends made him feel so alive and happy that it was hard to believe he had once been so negative. It was as if the old negative Matt had been another dog. Sure, he still felt negative at times and experienced negative events but these negative emotions and experiences no longer defined him. Now, he was defined by the positive stories he told himself and the positive actions he took to feed himself and others.

As Matt walked to the park with his family, he did what he had done every day since meeting Bubba. He enjoyed a thank-you walk and thought of all the things he was grateful for and prayed for his family and all the dogs at the shelter who weren't adopted yet. He found that gratitude and prayer not only diffused the negative thoughts and emotions he felt but also transformed him from the inside out. They were no longer just strategies to become more positive. They had become who he was.

As Matt and his family approached the park, they crossed paths with ...