The Pollyanna Effect

When I was a kid, my favorite actress was Haley Mills. I loved all her movies and couldn't get enough of them. One of the best was Pollyanna. I still watch this movie about once a year, just to refresh my memory. Every time I see it, I get something new out of it. It never gets old to me. The movie had more of an influence on me than I realized at the time.

The "glad game" that she played in the film is what I am referring to as the "Pollyanna Effect". I frequently find myself saying the phrase "I'm glad" about this or that. When I consciously catch myself saying it I say, "Aha! There it is again - the "Pollyanna Effect."

The "glad game" is something that is an integral part of my life and philosophy. That no matter what happens - there is always something else that is worse! It makes me stop and think when negative thinking threatens to "take over" my mind - to try to find something positive out of something that would otherwise be negative.