The next section of THE FINAL FAMILY SURVIVAL STRATEGY

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MAINTAIN A POSITIVE AND CHEERFUL ATTITUDE
Most of the things that we worry about are beyond our control. If you can’t change it why worry about it. How you feel about everything is really under the control of your mind. We can choose how we will react to a situation. An example of this happened to me . I was in Walmart with my Batman cap on. It is a low key black cap. A man came up to me and asks how I could possibly wear that hat after the shootings that had taken place by a man wear-ing a Batman hat. I could have responded that I didn’t care or any other response but I choose to just smile and walk away. The bottom line is that my cap is not a symbol of some-one that is going to shoot up a crowd of people. Yes I am sorry that that disaster happened, however, I can’t do anything about it. I was not there to stop the shooter.
This is a perfect example of something that is beyond your control and there is nothing that you can do about it. My question is, why worry about it? There are three points in time that are important in our lives. These are the past, the present, and the future. The past is good for lessons learned. We can’t change it but we can learn from the past. Why should we worry about the past as we cannot change one jot or line or one whit of it.
The present is what we need to be concerned about. This exact instant is the only place in time that we can change anything. I view it like this. I draw two lines in the dirt and step between the lines. This represents the present. Behind me is the past and in front of me is the future. The present is where we can make a difference. Your actions should be based upon what you want the future to be. Correct choices will determine the future that you want.
Okay, what can I do to change the future? In an earlier section we talked about planning and goal setting. The planning to achieve them and goals that you wish to achieve will help you to make the decisions in the present to get you the results you want in the future. A perfect example is getting out of debt. You made the decisions and choices in the past that got you into debt. There is nothing that you can do about that except learn the lesson to avoid all debt if possible. You have set a goal to get out of debt. What does that mean? That means that you will do what it takes to get out of debt. The choices to do that are made in the present.
Let’s consider an example.
The phone rings, “Hi Mr. Miller, I am Sonia from miracle mile travel. You have just won a trip to the Bahamas for two. This includes free transportation and lodging.”
You say, “Sure send me the tickets.”
This is where the problem begins. You really want to take your significant other to the is-lands. The problem is that you have no cash, but you have a couple of credit cards with a lot of available credit. You think this is a chance of a life time. The fine print says that you will need to pay for your own meals during your stay. That could be several thousand dollars in expenses. You really want to take this trip. Then a nagging little voice says “What was that goal? Was it to get out of debt?”
A sudden realization hits you. I don’t need to take this trip and it does not fit in with my goals. A quick calculation shows that by not going on this trip you could pay off one credit card by the end of the year. The amount that you save in interest will buy the rings that your significant other wants before the wedding next year. The kicker is that you find that you can sell the tickets for enough to buy the ring set for your intended. Things don’t always happen like this but if you have your goals and plans in place the chance of a miracle happening are a lot greater.
Now reader you are about to ask what has this got to do with feeling good and maintain-ing a positive attitude. Everything, you made a decision that you could control and moved toward a goal that is important. It is a lot easier to be positive and cheerful when you are on the path to your goals.
Why should you maintain a positive attitude and be cheerful? Here are a few reasons.
• It is good for your health.
• It attracts opportunity.
• You day goes faster and there is less stress.
• Many of the seemingly complex things become simple.
• How can you maintain a positive attitude when everything is going wrong?
• Live in the present.
• Take things one day at a time.
• If one day is too long, how about an hour at a time?
• Break big things down to little parts and actions.
• Change what you can and leave the rest.
• Take action that you have defined.
One of the greatest complements ever given to me was given to me at my 70th Birthday Party. A very good friend said, “No matter what kind of a lemon the world throws at him, he will turn it into lemonade or maybe even a lemon pie.” This means that you can always turn a bad situation around and use it to your advantage. It may not be what you originally wanted but it is always better than the alternative of doing nothing.
You can choose how you feel about a situation. You can choose to be depressed and down or you can choose to be upbeat with a, “I can change this attitude.” This book is meant to give you a real sense of security that will let you know that you have done your best.

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