Think Positive!

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
Philippians 4:7-9

I was honored earlier this month to receive a Norman Vincent Peale Award for Positive Thinking. The award is given each year to recognize people whose lives clearly and inspirationally exemplify the power of thinking positively, with faith in Almighty God, deep caring for people and dedicated commitment to improving our world.

I don't know if I've lived up to that glowing description. But I can say, for whatever reason, that I've by and large been a positive person. I was a cheerleader in high school and still refer to my role in life as that of a cheerleader who tries to inspire others to use their talents and fulfill their potential. I've delivered motivational messages to thousands of people around the world who I wanted to see achieve their dreams in their own Amway businesses. I've played a role as a community leader in helping rally my hometown to keep building and growing.

I've learned that positive thinking and positive encouragement and recognition are essential for leadership and progress. Whether you are a leader of a staff or a leader of your own children or a leader as a teacher or coach, you'll find that positive thinking is infectious and fuels a positive response.

I was raised by a father who remained positive even after losing his job during the Great Depression and who always told me, "You Can Do It!" My lifelong friend and business partner, Jay Van Andel, and I had no other ambition than to build a business of our own and remained true to that goal despite a list of setbacks. We once rented a hall that seated 200 for a presentation to recruit distributors for our nutritional products. Two people showed up! We stayed positive and built a business bigger than our wildest dreams.

Although people seem to need to vent and grumble at times, they are drawn to the positive and will follow anyone who blazes a positive trail. I've addressed arena-sized audiences, but one of my first speeches was to a group of 40 accountants. After accepting an invitation from one of my employees to speak to them, I starting thinking about what I would say and decided I wanted to deliver a positive message.

After that speech, I presented my positive message to other groups. The more I spoke, the more people responded. At a time in our history when people were beginning to doubt democracy and see socialism as the future, I pointed out all the positives we enjoyed as free American citizens. My little message to the accountants grew into "Selling America," a speech I delivered across the country and which was recorded and received the Alexander Hamilton Award for Economic Education from the Freedoms Foundation.
I love that verse from Philippians. Think positive! Think good thoughts! Think what our world would be like if everyone took those words to heart.

If you're interested, there is more information about:
The most important event of all time and
The most important Book of all time.

email this message to a friend   |   DW Home

Rich DeVos is the former chairman of Gospel Communications. He is also the author of "Hope From My Heart: Ten Lessons for Life," co-founder of Amway Corp., and owner and chairman of the NBA's Orlando Magic.