A lot can be learned from 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas!' Published April 22, 2009 By Lt. Col. Scott Gundlach 6th Operations Support Squadron MacDill AFB, Fl -- No, not the real thing, I am talking about the movie. Now that I have your attention, I am hoping that by using this unorthodox headline I peaked your curiosity enough that you just might read the rest of this commentary. Trust me when I say it is all in fun. For those of you who know me well, it should come as no surprise that I would reference a movie quote. Although I am a self-proclaimed connoisseur of movie quotes, even I am shocked by the movie that I am "drawing inspiration" from and the choice of actress is just as surprising. In the movie "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," one of the main characters, Miss Mona (played by none other than Miss Dolly Parton), had a line that I still remember to this day (not to date myself, but let's just leave it at over 20 years ago). Without further adieu, here it is: If you see someone without a smile, give them yours. Simple...Basic...to the point. My premise of all this is my belief in the incredible power of a smile and a positive attitude. To think negatively is like taking a weakening drug, and conversely, a positive attitude brings strength, energy and initiative. There is no limit to what we can accomplish if we attack our goals with a positive attitude. It was Mahatma Ghandi that said, "A man is but the product of his thoughts...what he thinks, he becomes (Quoting Ghandi and Dolly Parton in the same commentary... Wow!). Let me give you a concrete example. A couple weeks ago, I was driving through the Bayshore gate. The sun had not even thought about waking up and I was at the end of my substantial commute. I have to admit I was mundanely proceeding through the line of cars. It was then that I was greeted by an extraordinary Security Forces Airman with a smile and his positive attitude was simply undeniable. I was so impressed that he had me talking about him all day with my coworkers and obviously weeks later. His choice of words, "Have a great day!" were no different than the literally thousands of times I have driven onto an Air Force installation, but his attitude/ demeanor not only prompted me to smile back, but to answer him with an enthusiastic, "I will now." This story demonstrates a predominant characteristic of both a smile and a positive attitude. They are both HIGHLY contagious. Look no further than working the booths at Air Fest. I witnessed, first-hand, how the smiles and positive attitudes of a few quickly spread through my squadron's sausage/hot dog/nacho stand. What started out for most of us as volunteering to work a 10-hour day, turned into an enjoyable afternoon of camaraderie for TEAM pOSSe (OSS surrounded by Pride & Excellence, in case you were wondering). I attribute the success to having a positive attitude. Unfortunately, a negative attitude is every bit as contagious as the positive variety. I don't have to tell you, the Air Force is not always a walk in the park. There are deployments, exercises, inspections, budget constraints and the list goes on. I realize many of you feel you are being pulled in all different directions, but be careful. A negative attitude can insidiously ignite and spread like an EOD brush fire. This is why it is imperative to make a conscious decision to keep smiling. On particularly challenging days I literally take a break from the rat race with my coworkers and share a laugh. Examples include: "Third-person Thursdays" (everyone speaks in third person), movie quotes, writing an off-beat commentaries, just to name a few. It may be as simple as taking a few moments to watch an electronic picture frame which sits in my office. It doesn't take many pictures of my goofy kids to almost instantly change my attitude, put a smile on my face and then I can continue on with the work at hand. I have found an upbeat work environment to obviously be enjoyable and thus more productive. In closing, a smile and a positive attitude are powerful. If you smiled once while reading this, I have accomplished my goal, now... give it away!