By Bill Spitzer

Austin Public Schools

With the holidays quickly approaching, with Thanksgiving kicking it off this week, can you stay above the line?

Recently, I had an opportunity to hear an internationally known speaker, Willow Sweeny, who talked about becoming aware of our thinking and if it’s working in our best interest.  More specifically are you a person that lives above or below the line?

So, what does that mean, above or below the line?

Sweeny compared our lives to a straight line.  Sometimes our actions as well as behaviors are above the line and sometimes not so much. As we go through our day many things influence whether we go above or below the line.  Most of the time we think we are doing or saying the right thing but upon reflection we ask ourselves, did I really say that or worse yet, did I say that aloud? Staying above the line can be a challenge especially when we run into others who have been below the line for days, weeks and sometimes many years.

Staying positive and above the line can be a struggle.  I stumbled across an interesting analogy on social media last week. The post asked a simple question, if you had $86,400 in your hand and someone stole $10 would you get mad and throw away the rest of the cash just to get back at the person who stole the money?  Of course, not!  How many times do we give up when someone’s 10 seconds of negativity destroys our entire day?

We have 86,400 seconds in our day, don’t let that guy who cut you off in traffic or a co-worker that complains about having to come to work today because they hate their job draw the life out of your day.  Thinking before responding will help you stay above the line and when we are above the line we make better decisions. Remember that as you sit down with that room full of relatives during the holidays or someone grabs that last collectible item from the store shelf right in front of you. Don’t allow those 10 seconds hijack your entire day, you still have 86,390 seconds to make a positive impact.

We determine our thinking and how we respond.  Like the saying goes, don’t sweat the small stuff because it’s all small stuff!  Just in case you are wondering, clear positive thinking is one of the best prevention methods.

Bill Spitzer is the Planning and Implementation (P & I) Coordinator working closely with APAC (Austin Positive Action Coalition).  APAC and Bill will be working with our schools and community as part of a 5-year grant focusing on Positive Community Norms.  Feel free to contact him at the Austin High School 507.460.1800 ext. 0361 or via e-mail bill.spitzer@austin.k12.mn.us.  This grant is made possible by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, ADAD and hosted locally by the PRC.  To learn more about the Parenting Resource, visit their website at www.familiesandcommunities.org.