SUN CITY – Sun City has a new author. Meet Richard Gregory, N. 24, the newly published author of Positive Thinking and You, (2nd ed). Richard is also the founder and president of Huntley Consultants, Inc.
Mr. Gregory is no stranger to writing or to workbooks, having spent a combined 40 years with the military, partly on active duty in the U.S. Air Force and partly as an engineer and project manager for the U.S. Army. During that time he wrote all of or part of more papers, reports, and analyses than he cares to remember.
Along the way he learned to appreciate and communicate with people who thought differently and who came from various national, cultural, and educational environments. They honed his ability to communicate information to those diverse individuals and groups and to do it with a degree of clarity that required subject knowledge, the ability to capture the readerâs attention, and the skill to convey the information with the least amount of confusion or misunderstanding.
After leaving government-related work, he wrote in the real estate, restaurant, health-supplement, and entertainment industries until the worsening social climate convinced him that he should focus on Positive Thinking and You.
If youâre fed up with the nanny state and its wasteful ways, or wondered what you, as an individual, can do to live your life as you wish, and if youâre tired of the smug elite who believe they know how you should live your life, this book is for you.
It reaches back to the Founding Fathers for advice and inspiration on the belief that the structure of our Constitution reflects positive-thinking principles. It contrasts negative thinking and some of its side effects (such as social stagnation and collectivism) with positive thinking and its focus on individual excellence and self reliance. It explores positive-thinking characteristics and principles that can help you build the lifestyle you dream of. Positive Thinking and You (2nd ed) shows you how to strengthen yourself, your family, and your local community to better face the uncertain future and its possible risks. In short, itâs your guide for personal success. Everything you need, including detailed planning assistance, is included.
In explaining his epiphany (as a young man), âI was very inhibited and wore long-sleeved shirts [all the time], drove no faster than 35 mph, and wouldnât talk for three or four days.â
He added that heâd rather stay in his room and read.
âAt six or seven years old, I was giving reading lessons to my older cousin. It used to really [irritate] him.â
Through his work with the Department of Defense, âI learned to communicate with people who had a different view than I did.â
Throughout his career, Richard observed that ânegative thinking limits you, puts you in a box. I know itâs clichĂ©, but think outside the box. Think creatively, originally, unique, just as the first positive thinkers.â
Their thinking was along Dr. Abraham Maslow and other leading thinkers of that time, Dr. David Felten and Dr. Oakley Ray. The book is only 210 pages, and the first half is a discussion of the positive and negative ways of thinking, and the second half is made up of exercises where one can think visually.
âI enjoy speculative physics,â Richard exclaimed.
Richard offered an exercise in relaxation using proper breathing techniques. âLay down and put your left hand on your chest and your right hand on your diaphragm. Breathe normal. Which hand raises more? If your right hand raises, youâre using your diaphragm, and that is the proper way to breathe. If your left hand raises, youâre using your chest muscle, which is not the proper way to breathe. You should be using the lower third of your chest or the diaphragm.â
Richard also differentiated between good stress and bad stress: âA bride on her wedding day could very well be good stress, unless sheâs a bridezilla.â
Bad stress would be when the boss call you and chastises you. When you can deal with this and work with the positive aspects, youâre turning a negative into a positive. Just as the back of his book states, âBelieve in yourself, Build a Lifestyle and Enjoy Success.â
To purchase Richard Gregoryâs new book, Positive Thinking and You (2nd ed), you can contact him at 847-659-9033.