The Surly Bird Catches the Germ

By Susan Goodsell - Nov 16 , 2009

“The surly bird catches the germ!” proclaims a sign posted in my doctor’s office, which brought a smile to this perpetually positive person’s puss.

Studies abound that prove the benefits of positivity in the mind/body connection. According to the Women’s Health Initiative, a clinical trial of more than 161,000 healthy women between the ages of 50 to 79, optimistic women have a 14 percent lower risk of death overall than those who are more pessimistic.

And while part of our happiness comes from genetics, and part from circumstances (such as finances, relationships, etc.), experts say up to 40% of our happiness is based on our own viewpoint and how we choose to react to a specific situation.

My speaker’s bio has long stated the key to my success is, “Choose a positive attitude each and every day.”

A great example of choosing a positive attitude occurred just days ago. I have grappled with severe rheumatoid arthritis since I was 27 years old. Four times a year, I have a drug administered by infusion, a process that involves being hooked up to an IV and sitting for about six hours as the drug slowly drips into a vein on the back of my hand or the inside of my forearm. Not pleasant for a needle-phobic like me!

It would be easy to bemoan the injustice, the “wasted” time, or complain about how behind I’ll be at work the next day. However, I focus on the gift of a free day I’ve been given. No meetings, no emails, no cell phone—just an entire day of relaxing in a comfy, overstuffed chair, feet propped up, fleece blanket keeping me toasty, wonderful nursing staff bringing me snacks and smiles while they monitor me.

I actually look forward to sitting with a book I haven’t had time to finish or the latest edition of a woman’s magazine, working on ideas for new articles, or just spending time day dreaming and journaling. The day is about me, and as I leave with my injection site wrapped in a compression bandage (which they always sweetly color-coordinate to whatever my outfit is that day) I realize that I also feel thankful for this down time and for the fact that my chemo treatment is for rheumatoid arthritis and not cancer or some other much more serious medical condition.

Shift your focus from annoyance to gratitude, and you’ll begin to notice the gifts of time that arrive unexpectedly in your life. Plan now how to best use that time to advance your writing career or to take care of yourself.

Author and self-made millionaire Jim Rohn says, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Surround yourself with positive, successful people in the book industry and you, too, will be a success. Ask them for their success strategies. You will eventually begin to think and behave as they do.

Jack Canfield, of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame, writes about how our words and thoughts affect our body in his national bestseller, The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be —

You must take responsibility for removing I can’t from your vocabulary.

There’s a great kinesiology exercise Canfield uses in his seminars to demonstrate this concept: Have a friend hold his left arm out and push down with the hand on his other arm to test his strength. Then have him say something he believes he cannot do. “I cannot play the guitar” and push down on his arm again. It will be noticeably weaker.

Now have him state, “I can do it!” Remarkably, his arm will be stronger and harder to move down.

Imagine the odds of you completing (or starting!) that novel if your core belief is that you can’t or you’ll never find a publisher. Unarguably, developing a positive attitude will further your career as an author. It is an open door to achieving whatever you desire to accomplish.

Ironically, over the course of the past couple of hours while I was sitting writing this article, my boyfriend, Mark, began feeling ill. His body aches of earlier today turned into fever and stomach troubles. As we have recently been surrounded by friends and associates who caught this latest virus, and as flu symptoms tend to appear very quickly, it’s probably a fair guess Mark will be knocked out for at least a few days, yet rather than complaining, his comment was “Well, at least I’ll lose a couple of pounds!” Now that’s seeing the silver lining!

As for me? I’m just glad he is one of the five people I spend the most time with!

Now, I am simply just positive you will have a great week and accomplish your top writing goals . . . .