Catch positivity with this 'Gloom Chaser'

Worry, and envy, and jealousy, and hatred, and doubt, and fear are all states of mind which are fatal to action. Any of these states of mind will interfere with, and in some instances destroy altogether, the digestive process through which the food is assimilated and prepared for distribution through the body. This interference is purely physical, but the damage does not stop here, because these negative states of mind destroy the most essential factor in the achievement of success; namely, desire to achieve. In the second lesson of this course you learned that your definite chief aim in life should be supported by a burning desire for its realization. You can have no burning desire for achievement when you are in a negative state of mind, no matter what the cause of that state of mind may be. To keep myself in a positive frame of mind I have discovered a very effective “gloom-chaser.” That may not be a very dignified way of expressing my meaning, but since the subject of this lesson is action and not dignity I will make it serve. The “gloom-chaser” to which I refer is a hearty laugh. When I feel “out of sorts” or inclined to argue with somebody over something that is not worthy of discussion, I know that I need my “gloom-chaser,” and I proceed to get away where I will disturb no one and have a good hearty laugh. If I can find nothing really funny about which to laugh I simply have a forced laugh. The effect is the same in both cases. Five minutes of this sort of mental and physical exercise - for it is both - will stimulate action that is free from negative tendencies.

(Book: Law of success (Napoleon Hill))

How Charles Dicken's 'A Christmas Carol' came into being - A note on 'contribution to society'

Recently, the Covey Leadership Center participated with the local PBS station in making available to the Public Broadcasting System a video dramatization we developed and filmed in England. The central figure in this remarkable story is an Englishman who transcended a childhood spent as a street urchin to become a reasonably successful writer with a nice home and a loving family. At the time of the story, however , he had reached a point where he was experiencing “writer’s block.” For some time, he had been unable to feel inspired in his writing. It seemed his creativity had turned off. His debts were mounting. He was under tremendous pressure from the publisher. He was becoming more and more depressed with a growing fear that his own children would end up on the streets like so many he saw around . . . like he, himself, had as a youth. He was discouraged. He couldn’t sleep. He began to spend his nights walking the streets of London. He saw the poverty, the inhumane conditions of children working nights in the factories, the terrible struggle of parents trying to eke out a living for their families. Gradually , the full reality of what he was seeing began to hit him—the impact of selfishness and greed and those who would take advantage of others. An idea touched his heart and began to grow in his mind. There was something he could do that would make a difference! He returned to his writing with an energy and enthusiasm he had never known. The vision of contribution impassioned him, consumed him. He no longer felt doubt or discouragement. He didn’t worry about his own financial concerns. He wanted to get this story out, to make it as inexpensive as possible, to make it available to as many people as possible. His whole life had changed. As a result, the world was changed. Charles Dickens’s masterpiece “A  Christmas Carol” has brightened the lives of millions of people around the world. For one hundred and fifty years his vision has left a wonderful legacy of hope, warmth, and caring.

(First things first, Stephen R Covey)