Have you ever sensed that the Universe is piling loads of crap into your life all at once? Of course you have! Heck, we’re feeling that right now as we make some big transitions in our RVing lifestyle and business endeavors. In stressful times it’s tough to remember that we can’t have positives without negatives, that yin and yang is what keeps our Universe in balance.

But what if those “good” and “bad” situations never transpired in the first place? Can we eliminate them from our life? The truth is, you CAN! A 100% positive, happy life is waiting for you, all you need are the right tools for responding to whatever the Universe throws at you.

Easier said than done, says your inner cynic? Well you’re right! That’s why a new book by our good friend Dave Berman will give you the tools to walk the positivity talk.

Get Building Blocks of a Better Attitude

Dave’s new book, “Building Blocks of a Better Attitude,” is a helpful new tool we’ve been using to make the most of some recent stressful situations.

It’s no surprise that this book is so helpful; Dave’s Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) practice and coaching has enabled Jim and I to overcome motivational challenges, sleep disorders, and even my lifelong nail-biting habit. To compliment his NLP practice, Dave’s “Building Blocks of a Better Attitude” is an affordable quick start guide for anyone seeking less stress and more happiness in their daily life:

“This book is for you if pessimism and cynicism aren’t working out so well; if you think too much and enjoy yourself too little; if you make things harder or more complicated than necessary; and if you’re ready to think differently about how you think.

When you think differently, you feel differently because the mind and body are connected. This connection is like gravity — always on and working the same way for everyone. You can’t turn it off or opt out.”

In this 44-page book Dave explains the three tiers of learning how to think differently, by giving detailed breakdowns (“Blocks”) of ways you can train your brain and body to respond with simple actions that will make you a happier and more fulfilled person. One of my favorites is in Block 10 – Calibrating:

“As we have already explored, your feelings give you real-time feedback about your thoughts. That means the feelings are like an emotional GPS telling you whether your thoughts are pointing in the direction you want to go. We’ll call this navigation system your Thought Compass.

In this context, calibrating means assessing your current emotional state and then moving the Thought Compass in the direction of more desirable feelings, toward the top of the Emotional Set Point List presented in Block 9. Here’s how you can practice…

Start with both arms straight in front of you and your palms together. Focus on Joy / Knowledge / Empowerment / Freedom / Love / Appreciation or whatever feelings you’ve placed at the top of your customized Emotional Set Point List. As you allow your thoughts to bring you into that desirable emotional state, the positiion of your arms is calibrated to “True North” on your Thought Compass.“

After reading Dave’s book, Jim and I always know when one of us is trying to overcome feelings of stress because we look like this:

You might see us doing a lot of this in the coming months as we move on from our present location here at Jerry’s Acres, on to a full-timing, cross-country adventure. Life on the road is a blast, but as working-age full-timers it’s never as easy or as carefree as non-fulltimers think it is. Thankfully we have Building Blocks of a Better Attitude for easy access when we need to remind ourselves of our true north, while repeatedly asking ourselves:

“Would you prefer fear, doubt, and expectation of a failure or does it feel better when you’re confident, joyful, and full of giddy anticipation? Which emotional state leads to more resourceful actions and better results?”

Without hesitation, we’ll choose giddy anticipation any day!