Hi There!

I am feeling very refreshed after my mini-vacation the last couple of days. I went to Orlando and witnessed Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas. It was a blast and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes Christmas and Mickey Mouse!

I got back last evening and spent today “recovering” from my trip. In the afternoon I took a little break and went and saw The Pursuit of Happyness. For those of you who don’t know what it’s about, I’ll tell you.

It’s a movie based on the true life story of Chris Gardener, a once homeless man turned multi-millioniare. Chris Gardener is played by Will Smith and Will Smith’s real life son plays Chris Gardener’s son in the movie.

I won’t spoil the details of The Pursuit of Happyness, but I will say this. The story teaches many lessons about what it takes to be a success. Chris Gardener had every excuse in the world to give up, quit, or not even try.

Everyday we are given “ways out”. We are constantly faced with the decision to continue on or give up. Sometimes we make wrong choices and are left to deal with those consequences, but that’s ok. That is how we learn and grow.

Chris Gardener was homeless, broke, jobless, and carless…he had every right to just sit back and complain about his situation. Instead he focused on what he did have…intelligence and dedication. He used those two assets to work his way up the stock broker world and….

I’ll stop there and let you watch the movie yourself. But, if you’re out there right now and using excuses, don’t do it. It won’t help you in any way. The people who succeeed do so in spite of their circumstances, not because of them.

Find your niche in life and never quit learning. You are capable of more than you ever thought possible.

Now, go to the theater and watch The Pursuit of Happyness. The story of Chris Gardener is truly inspirational and life changing.

Life isn’t always the wonderful, perfect, lovely, and beautiful world we always hoped for. Sometimes, it’s even better!

Ok, don’t mind my semantical opening. I’m just trying to make a point. You see, the world doesn’t exist without us first recognizing it. Sounds crazy, right?

Let me explain.

The reality we experience is the only reality that exists to us. Mainly that means that we decide how we act and react to situations. You’ve probably heard this before, but no one makes us do anything we don’t want to.

You may recall your parents saying something like “You’re driving me CRAZY!”, but in the end you weren’t the ones driving them crazy. You were acting badly perhaps, but they were the ones making the conscious choice to get upset.

I know what some of you are thinking. Trust me, Mike, I REALLY did drive my parents crazy. Well, maybe that was a bad example.

So, what does all this have to do with staying positive? In its most basic sense, remaining positive is a choice we either make or don’t make. Actually, it’s a choice we have to make.

By choosing to stay positive, you are in effect choosing to see the “lighter” side of life. By choosing to stay negative you are going to always see the bad.

It reminds of an idea I had once. I was going to put together a pessimist club. The problem was, nobody thought it would work out. (boom boom cha)

All joking aside, make a conscious decision today to stay positive and don’t let negative things bother you. Hold strong, and you can accomplish more in your life than you ever thought possible.