Most of you who know me or read this blog regularly know I’m a big fan of The Secret. The Secret is based on the Law of attraction – the more positive you are, the more positivity you will attract. As well as reminding you to be positive and focus your energies on positive activities and people, The Secret makes a big deal of saying thank you.

Despite having a ‘crazy, cockney, streets of London’ upbringing, my Mum instilled manners in her brood of unruly offspring with a vengeance. I am no stranger to saying thank you generally, but sometimes I forget to stop and say thanks for the little things in life. The little things that make me happy and smile. It’s the little things that The Secret encourages you to focus on.

There are many reasons why you may find yourself in a negative place, (Which isn’t that pub on causewayside which, every time I look into, seems to be full of the most miserable people in Edinburgh, ever), but just a time when things don’t go your way. We all have down days, if we didn’t we’d be the strangest kind of people, all running around like saturday morning Children’s TV presenters! Yikes!
Staying positive can be hard when you are dealing with a tough situation. I am well-known for my positivity, my ability to look for the silver lining. I have no idea why, it’s just the way I was made. I stop often and evaluate where I am at, what I have achieved and where I will be going next. Like any creative, determined person, pinning down your next move is very important.

Recently, I took this a step further and created a visual symbol that every time I saw, it would remind me to stop and say thanks for the good things in my life. The Secret teaches you that the more you appreciate what you have, the more good things you will bring into your life. My visual symbol is a feather. Not something you see everyday, it’s random enough to take me out of the constant thinking and planning that goes on in my head and stop to say thanks.

This morning in particular, this seemed really poignant to me as I made my way into the doctor’s surgery for an appointment. It’s a little bit nerve-wracking to have tests of any kind, and hopefully they will amount to nothing, but they are scary all the same.

Head down, I walked on in and saw something that put a spring in my step. A solitary white feather was floating along the ground. It made me smile and in my head I said thanks. As I walked on there was one more, then another, then another, then another. It seems the pathway to the doctors was littered with feathers!

I was smiling wide by the time I checked in at the reception, not sure if I was the happiest person in there today, but I sure felt like it! By the time I walked out I was so focussed on how lucky I am. I may not have everything exactly as I want it just yet, but I don’t take for granted what I do have. I am grateful for all the wonderful people I know, the opportunities I work hard to create, the people I love and mostly today, I was very grateful for the poor bird who must be hiding in the bushes somewhere, without any feathers, trying desperately to cover her modesty with her wings!