Positively, My Son

Last year I was all about positive thinking. I constantly had my iPod loaded up with motivational audio books like Think and Grow Rich, or How to Win Friends and Influence People. I studied up on the Law of Attraction made popular by the book and movie combination The Secret. I championed this for a good while, using the term FPP (Frequent Positive Practices) which was also the abbreviation of my new organization Fair Port Pictures. Sometimes it can be hard to maintain that kind of attitude and I let it slip. Then I completely dropped it - subsequently I went into a state of negativity I would not wish on my worst enemy.

Recently, I have been taking a long look at each of my kids and examining their general outlook on life. I have learned a lot. I see small aspects of the Law of Attraction at work. Simply put, what you think about a lot you will get - as long as you remain positive and fully grateful for your blessings. The latter half of that is key. My son Shaun is a wonderful example of this. He is almost always happy and can see the positive of any situation. This is his default setting. Something bad will happen and he'll remark, "It's not that bad Daddy.", or "This is probably only going to happen like this only once or something, right?"

Happy for the first day of school

I love the way he expresses his positivity with open affection to us. He is always telling us he loves us and is such a great little guy when dealing with his sisters - who are a bit more of a challenge. Often times he'll be in the background while they take all of our attention. Kelly and I always make sure to thank him for his patience and usually reward him privately with something special. I think he really gets it.

There are days where I am not happy with being a stay at home dad, even if the life is quite easy compared to some others. In reality, I have nothing to be sad about and everything to be thankful for. This is where my lessons from Shaun come into play. His bright disposition is a shining example of how to approach all the obstacles in my path. I just have to think to myself: "It's not that bad - and it will probably only happen like this once or something..."

Thanks buddy, I appreciate the lesson. Tomorrow you can teach me how to potty-train Abby.