I had a reunion of sorts this past weekend. Seven of us, friends since high school, got together at a friend’s house in Pipersville, Pa.  We’ve remained friends for over 40 years and decided it would be a fun weekend to hang out, watch football, play some poker and just catch up.  And it was.

Amazing we’ve been able to stay connected for so long.   Through marriages, children and business successes, we’ve been there for all the fun times. That’s when it’s easy to stay friends, when everyone’s feeling like a winner.  But these friendships have endured the tougher times as well, funerals of loved ones, sickness, divorces, lost jobs and business failures.  Those are the times friendships are tested, and bonds are either strengthened… or broken.

It was great hanging with ‘my boyz’.  Not that we all share the same believes or ideas, but old familiarities remind you to be a little more open, a little more understanding of what each of us have been through.  See life through a different set of eyes. So when someone says something that pisses you off, you give him some leeway.  You let things go.  It’s certainly much easier when you’re in a good place, when the space between your ears is feeling peaceful.

Which brings me to my morning walk.  As I was trekking through the cold, frozen woods around his house on Saturday morning, talking with my non-physical wingmen, or maybe just to myself, I came up with a great practice.  I decided to think of each friend, and individually celebrate him, by reflecting on something positive about him.

Don’t get me wrong.  My friends are not Mother Teresa.  Like all of us they can be a pain in the ass at times.  And there are certainly things about each of them that irritate me.  But this morning’s practice wasn’t about that; it was about focusing on the positive, about feeling the love.  And the love I felt.  As I walked, I would deliberate on each friend and come up with something I could praise him for.

How he built a life around his strengths.
How he found his niche.
How he never gets rattled, and sees the good in each of us.
How he’s living life on his terms.
How strong he is to have made it through some difficult times.
How he always comes up with a new idea, always keeps moving forward.

Talk about raising your vibration, I felt great, my energy was high, and my heart was full.  I started thinking, what would it feel like if we did this all the time, with our kids, our spouses, our co-workers, our in-laws, our neighbors and anyone else who crosses our path.

I urge you to give it a try it.  Take one minute and think of different people in your life.  It can be a loved one, a business associate, a client.  Who it is, is not important.  That you raise your vibration by thinking of something positive about them is.

Positively yours,

Michael