“The sun is always shining. Even though clouds may come along and obscure the sun for a while, the sun is always shining. The sun never stops shining. And even though the Earth turns, and the sun appears to go down, it really never stops shining.”
—Louise Hay
When I was young, my sisters and I would sometimes run home to Mother, crying over some tragedy that had just befallen us. We would be heartbroken because the boy we liked didn’t ask us to the prom, or we lost the election, or didn’t get the part we wanted in the school play.
Whatever the problem was, Mom would always hold us and murmur sympathetically, letting us know she was sorry for our hurt—for about five minutes. Tops.
Then she would say, “Well, let’s play the Glad Game!”
I think she got this from the movie Pollyanna. She would brighten up, smile, and get us to think about all the things we had that were positive, that we were grateful for or glad about. It wouldn’t be long before we were happy again, having learned to move on from the bad things and to reconnect with all that was good in our lives.
This became a life-long habit for me. Whenever something bad happens, I cry about it for a while, have my little pity party, and then focus on what’s still good in my life. It lifts my spirits immediately.
For example, one Sunday afternoon, after visiting an art affair with friends, I walked back to my car and tried to start the engine. Nothing happened—it was dead as a doornail.
“Rats!” I fumed (or words to that effect). “Why did this have to happen?” I spent a few minutes being angry about it, then called the Auto Club to come get me.
That started my grateful list: “I’m glad I belong to the Auto Club. I’m glad I have a cell phone to call the Auto Club. I’m glad it’s daylight and I’m in Beverly Hills and not some bad neighborhood in the middle of the night…”
You see how it works? I got my attitude back to gratitude: there are a lot of good things in life, and I have a lot of them. The cup is half full, thank you.
A car that won’t start is a small thing. But playing the Glad Game works with big events, too. I used it to get me back to positive thinking after my divorce, after losing a $300,000 per year account, after losing a friend to cancer.
It takes more time, but the process is the same. I mourn my losses, and then I refocus on my abundance. It is a coping strategy that keeps me in a state of happiness and well-being most of the time. Thanks, Mom!
Today’s Affirmation: “My attitude of gratitude creates more and more blessings in my life.”
From The Wealthy Spirit by Chellie Campbell
