Faith is simply an extension of belief because it is believing that what you cannot see will come to pass. Fear is likewise an extension of belief, believing that what you cannot see will come to pass. Both faith and fear have the same definition, but faith attracts the positive while fear attracts the negative.

People who are positive have a happier and healthier life. They live longer and enjoy the journey through life. Negative people, on the other hand, are sad and lead dull, stressful lives.

Who decides if you will have a positive or negative life? You do. It depends on you cultivating a good attitude. It means you have to work at it.

When my daughter, Ronny, was in the fourth grade, she ran home from school one day, very excited, and said, “Daddy, did you know that people in high positions don’t have good attitudes because they are in high positions; they are in high positions because they had good attitudes.” (In other words, a positive attitude makes a difference.)

I am reminded of a story of a father who had twin sons – one was very negative and the other extremely positive. One Christmas, he decided to try an experiment on the boys.

Christmas Day he had the following gifts for the negative boy: a basketball, a beautiful bicycle and a nice pellet gun. For the positive boy he filled a big bag with horse manure.

The negative boy awakened first on Christmas Day and was full of joy when he saw his presents. “Thanks, Daddy!” he said. “This is everything I wanted.”

His dad said, “Why don’t you go on the driveway and shoot some goals with your basketball?” “On, no!” replied the boy. “I’m afraid the ball will go in the road, and a car will run over it.”

“Well, how about a bike ride?” his father suggested. “I’m afraid I’ll fall and mess it up,” the boy answered.

“Then why don’t you go in the backyard and shoot your pellet gun?” asked his father. The boy said, “I’d like to, but I might break some neighbor’s window.”

As the father was thinking of what to say, the positive son came running down the stairs. He was full of excitement as he opened his present – the bag of horse manure. Without saying a word, he ran throughout the house, looking in every room.

“What’s the matter?” his father asked. “I’m looking for the horse!” the boy shot back.

Yes, being positive or negative is a personal choice. It all depends on how you look at things.

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.