There was a gardener who was running his family business, that had been passed down from his grandfather to his father and now to him. The staff were happy, and they had more than enough customers, and the team and business were both very successful. For as long as anyone could even remember, the current owner and his ancestors before him were always happy, positive, and optimistic. Generally, people assumed that was because they were all running a very successful business.

Testament to this, there was a tradition of all the owners to wear a big lapel badge saying, “Business is Great!” Generally, it was great, but there were tough spells just like all businesses. The key was that no matter the how good or bad times were in the gardening business, the owner’s attitude was always the same.

The first time anyone saw the owner and the badge, they would invariably ask “What’s so great about your business?” or make their own comments that their own companies were suffering, and they were miserable in their personal lives because of how stressed they were. What the badge was great for was starting a conversation, where the owner could then talk about all the positive parts of the business.

• How much he loved meeting and talking with new people each day
• How rewarding it was as he helps staff rise to meet new challenges and experiences
• Being able to laugh and relax in a work environment where all the team get along
• How much he loves helping people and sharing his knowledge, and learning from others as well
• The feeling of satisfaction from finishing a job to the best of his ability
• The new challenges that force you to learn something new everyday

The list goes on and on. No matter how bad a mood the customer was in before walking in the store, they would leave feeling significantly happier just from a couple of minutes talking to the owner and being a part of the infectious positivity and enthusiasm. Asked about the key to his business’s success, and whether the badge or the attitude came first in a quiet moment the owner confides, “The badge was first. The great business followed.”

The goal of this story is to encourage a positive attitude and behavior, no matter what is happening with the business or personally. Being part of a successful team is the end result, your attitude is what comes first and ultimately determines everything.

“The mind is everything. What you think, you become.”
-Buddha

“Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.”
-Zig Ziglar

“Once you start replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”
-Willie Nelson

“Positive thinking is more than just a tagline. It changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I am positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better.”
-Harvey Mackay

…and maybe the most powerful statement of what positive thinking can accomplish came from Peter Drucker in “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”