Think Positively

CORE PRACTICE #81: Maintain a positive attitude, even in tough times, by building friendships and finding activities you enjoy.

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. —Philippians 4:8-9

TONY

In his marvelous book Expect to Win, former Cleveland Browns defensive end Bill Glass recounts the story of the 1958 World Series between the Milwaukee Braves and the New York Yankees. Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn was on the mound for the Braves in the sixth game, a game that could clinch the series for his team. The Braves were hanging on to a narrow lead when their manager called “time” and came out to the mound.

He told Spahn, “Whatever you do, don’t throw it high and outside.” Spahn, of course, knew that Elston Howard, the first African American player for the Yankees and a future Hall of Famer himself, was a great hitter of high, outside pitches. He shrugged—it was information he already had.

I’ll leave it to you to figure where Spahn’s next pitch was—high and outside, right in that sweet spot for Howard—who singled and eventually scored the winning run as the Yankees came back to win it all.

Spahn reportedly came off the field in a huff, remarking, “Why would a manager tell you what he wanted you to do by telling you what not to do?”

The point is this—we tend to instinctively move in the direction of what our minds focus on and what we think will happen. How do you view your tomorrow? Is it positive or negative? What are your expectations for your tomorrow? Are they hopeful or full of despair?

May I suggest that you focus on what you want to occur—not on what you don’t. You may not always get there, but you’ll never reach your goal if you don’t believe you can.

May I also suggest that, whenever possible, you do things with people who “carry a smile for their umbrella”—folks who have an optimistic outlook on life, folks who always see the glass as half full.

Lauren and I have decided that without an attitude of joy, expectancy, and possibility in every situation, we will miss the glorious moments God has planned for us. We encourage each other to set our minds on all He can and will do.

That isn’t always easy. I remember a moment shortly before the end of the Buccaneers’ 2001 season. Rumors were circulating that I might soon be replaced as head coach. I had just finished working out and was dressing in the coaches’ locker room. A member of our front office staff was also there, getting ready for a run.

“Coach, I just wanted to say that I’ve appreciated seeing your witness in light of the circus that is occurring all around,” he said.

With little time to consider my response, I said, “I think there are times when God welcomes the circus into our lives to give us an opportunity to show that there’s another way to live and respond to things.”

I don’t think I could say it any better today.

What is your attitude right now? Whether you’re experiencing good times or not-so-good times, remember that God is moving in your life and always wants the best for you. That means you have reason to be positive, right? Absolutely!

Adventure Application: This week, try to see everything with a can-do attitude. Agree that you’ll commit yourselves to expect a positive outcome to life, even if your circumstances don’t look positive right now. Then, several days from now, sit down again to talk about how that perspective affected your overall outlook.