Years ago, I drove into a service station to get some gas. It was a beautiful day, and I was feeling great. As I walked into the station to pay for the gas, the attendant said to me, “You don’t look well.” This took me completely by surprise. I told him that I had never felt better. Without hesitation, he continued to tell me how bad I looked and that my skin appeared yellow.
By the time I left the service, I was feeling a little uneasy. When I got home, I was beginning to feel a little queasy. Had I picked some rare disease.
The next time I went into that gas station, feeling fine again. I figured out what had happened. The place had recently been painted a bright, bilious yellow, and the light recently off the walls made everyone inside look as though they had hepatitis! I had let one short conversation with the total stranger change my attitude for an entire day. He told me I looked sick and before long, I was actually feeling sick. That single negative observation had a profound effect on the way I felt and acted.
There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.
– Clement Stone
