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Peace be with you.

No, really. Peace be with you.

What if today we start every conversation with those four words and genuinely mean it? How much would that change our lives, our relationships, and our world?

I’ll start each episode of this podcast with “Peace be with you” to remind you what we should be striving for – Peace, Love, and Light.

In this first episode, I want to set the stage for what Positive Head Space is all about – starting the week with a positive mindset, knowing that you can’t control the world, but you can control how you respond to it, and more importantly the energy you put into it. Our goal is to add more positive energy – peace, love, and light – to the world. Here’s a good place to start:

Every day, you get to make a choice when you wake. How will you face the day? Will you go out into the world with gratitude and a positive mindset, or with grumpiness? The world has enough grumpiness. Choose gratitude.

Being grateful helps you feel more content, and that is a rare emotion in today’s world where we’re constantly bombarded by ads for products that tell us that we are not enough, don’t have enough, or may never be enough without the products that will make us appear more attractive, financially well off, and successful. Products that promise to recapture youth, regrow hair, improve our finances, and make the world love us. Maybe some will work, but most are just today’s version of snake oil medicine wrapped in shiny new digital packaging.

Take a breath, turn off social media, and think about how you define success. Real success. If it’s money, a big house, and a nice car, I truly hope you get them. Work for them and make them yours.

I’ve learned to define success by what I put out into the world, not what I can take from it.

Success is when someone tells me they’ve read one of my books and really enjoyed it. Success is when my team at work makes a client genuinely smile. Success is when I get into bed at night and can count at least one thing to add to my nightly gratitude list.

Maybe it’s the positive encounter I had with a stranger at the store. It could be that a project I’ve been working on is finally ready to be put out into the world. Or it could be as simple as a quick text chat with a loved one I haven’t talked with in a while. Heck! Maybe it’s just knowing that I washed my sheets that morning and, as a result, the bed feels extra comfortable.

There is always something to be grateful for, and gratitude is at the heart of contentment.

Begin your day with gratitude for just being alive and end it with a thankful heart, no matter how the world around you played out.

Whether you learned something new, nailed that important presentation, or simply made it through a rough day without breaking down, be thankful for each day’s blessings. Wherever you are in life right now, maintaining an attitude of gratitude feeds a positive mindset.

Each week, I’ll end the episode with a simple challenge to add a little positivity to the world. This week, your challenge – should you choose to accept it (and I hope you will) – is to smile at a stranger. That’s it! Don’t hide your eyes behind the too common distraction of your mobile phone. Lift them, meet that person’s gaze, and give them an authentic smile. Let your heart greet their heart, human to human, authentic interaction. Just smile. Most people can’t help but return the favor.

Thanks for listening. Go forth and smile!

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