When I was 9 years old my next door neighbor, Greg, was out
mowing his lawn. He was a year older than I was and normally
well mannered.
Regardless, on that humid summer evening back in Iowa, I decided
to bother Greg by walking in front of the lawn mower as he pushed
it. I was begging him for a reaction.
React, he did. But not the way I expected. Instead of yelling at me
to get out of the way, or letting go of the mower to physically push
me – he had a novel idea.
He decided to push the mower right onto my foot.
“YOWWWWWCHHH” I screamed as my shoe got caught under the
mower. I fell to the ground screaming and crying.
In an instant my parents, Greg’s parents and the entire neighborhood
came running. I laid on the ground thinking the end was at hand.
My sneaker was in hundreds of tiny pieces, scattered all over the lawn.
And my mind was spinning faster than the blade on the mower.
Greg literally mowed my shoe right off my foot. Yet somehow –
and at this point I’d have to use the “Grace of God” line – my
foot was spared. Not a scratch. Not a nick. Not a trace of blood.
I didn’t realize how lucky I was that day. My parents were more
relieved than I was, because unlike myself, they knew much
better than I the value of my foot. They understood the pain,
suffering and lifelong agony I would have endured if the blade
had cut into my bare foot. I might have lost a couple toes. I
might have lost my foot. Perhaps something even worse.
My foot survived this run in with the lawn mower, and from that
moment on in my life I took seriously my mother’s stories about
guardian angels.
Whether you believe in guardian angels in the external world or not –
I think you will agree that within your own mind there is also a type
of guardian angel. It’s called your Success Mechanism. When fed goals,
questions … and memories of the things you have to be grateful for – it
goes to work to bring MORE of the good your way.
On the other hand, you also have a Failure Mechanism within. And when it
is fed images of doom, gloom and despair – when it is fed resentment,
disappointment, failure and frustration – it goes to work to bring you more
of them.
It is up to YOU whether you want to focus on the good or the bad. I most
certainly suggest the good – and if at any time you begin to dwell on or
think of the bad – catch yourself doing so and ask yourself, “What’s good
about this? How can I turn this situation to my advantage? Where’s the seed
of an equivalent or greater benefit in this?”
When you ask questions like these, you probe the subconscious section of the
mind to come up with ways to turn every semmingly negative experience into
a positive. Once you’ve done it a few times I think you’ll come to understand
how the positive outweighs the negative.
Oh – and by the way, I never walked in front of a lawn mower again. Lesson
learned.
Best,
P.S. As a member of the Psycho-Cybernetics Success Group you’re going to do
more than learn a few lessons. You’re going to learn to attract to yourself more
good than you’ve ever previously imagined. I am thrilled to hear so many success
stories coming from members of the group. I want YOU to be one of them, too.
Go to http://www.psycho-cybernetics.com/success_group.html and enroll NOW.