The Positive Dog: A Story About the Power of Positivity

Simple as a Smile

“Feeding the positive dog doesn't happen unless you take action,” Bubba said as he and Matt walked around the yard the next morning. “It's something that you must intentionally do each day. When you make it a habit you not only change how you think and feel but you also literally change how your brain works. The research shows that we can actually mold our brains to be more positive by feeding them positivity each day.”

“How do you do this?” Matt asked, thinking the answer was going to be complicated and difficult.

“It's as simple as a smile,” said Bubba as they stopped to smell some flowers. “Smiling has the same effect as smelling these here beautiful flowers. It makes you feel good.”

“But what if I don't feel like smiling?” Matt said as he tried to recall the last time he actually smiled.

“Well that's the thing,” Bubba answered. “Too often we wait for something in life to make us smile. We wait until we feel positive and a smile happens. But you don't have to wait to feel positive enough for a smile to happen. You can generate a positive feeling by smiling. Your smile can be the source of your positivity, not just the result of it.” Bubba then lifted his nose and inhaled the fresh cold air, paused for a moment, and said, “When you think of smiling remember this: Waiting for something to make you smile is like sitting in a dark room waiting for someone to turn on the light switch. But making yourself smile is like turning on a light switch inside you. You have ...