I woke up this morning at three am disturbed, and at first I did not know why. After lying in bed thinking for an hour, it dawned on me: I had absorbed a lot of negativity from a handful of people over the last few days. People who actually know me will attest to the fact that I am a very positive person. I usually see the glass as full, not half full, and certainly not half empty. This is not to say that I do not feel down sometimes, after all, I am human. When I do begin to feel myself going toward the negative, however, I work really hard to bring myself back to my positive self as fast as I possibly can.

The day started out innocently enough-talking with a few dealers who complained about the state of their business. Then a few vendors called me up to say that they just wanted to hear a positive voice. But by the time I was done talking with them, I had not only absorbed some of their negativity, but had unconsciously started to complain about certain things and spread the bad news I had heard. I am sure you can relate. Before you know, it you have turned negative and grumpy and you have no idea why or how it happened.

Why am I telling you all this? Because if you are not careful, you can absorb other people's negativity, which in turn will affect your productivity. I recommend a little game you can play with yourself to curb your conscious and unconscious complaining. Go to www.acomplaintfreeworld.org and order yourself a free bracelet. It will come even faster if you order a dozen for about $15, which you can share with your family, friends, and employees. The idea is to catch yourself complaining. Every time you complain, you switch the bracelet to the other wrist. The goal is to go 21 days without complaining. Yes, I know it sounds impossible, but why not try it.

I am sure you have heard the saying "what goes around comes around" and "whatever you put in you get out". If that is true, then the less complaining you do and the more positive you are, the more good things will happen to you, and ultimately for you.

The biggest failure habit you can have is a bad attitude. Why? Because your attitude determines your altitude.

Do you want to be happy, healthy, and prosperous? I am confident that you do. Try this little experiment and I am sure your business and your life will be better.

David Alan "The Automotive Direct Mail Guru" is CEO of MAIL-RITE INTERNATIONAL INC. David is also the author of the best selling book, The $100 Million Dollar Playbook, and the just released, Direct Mail for Business Book. David can be reached at 440-519-1515 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .