12 Action Steps to Stop Thinking Horizontally

I'm still reading Mike Huckabee's latest book, "From Hope to Higher Ground," and just finished the chapter on vertical versus horizontal thinking. This ties-in to the Vertical Day that I participated in last month. It boils down to thinking and acting on things that are either uplifting or will at least force you to leave your comfort zone to try something new rather than maintaining the status quo. This is a good perspective not only for politics but for life in general. Here are 12 ways the governor suggests for thinking and acting "vertically":

1. Open doors for others. (Check.)

2. Tip waiters and waitresses generously. (Check, I think.)

3. Attend worship services every week. (Oops. Does TV count? Probably not.)

4. Compliment a co-worker. (Check. Just ask Becky. She'll vouch for me. She better.)

5. Always say, "Thank you." (Check, when truly grateful anyway.)

6. Know the name of the person who cleans your office building. (HA! There's a story!)

7. Never ask for anything without saying, "Please." (Check.)

8. Don't use profanity. (Half a check. I try. Does it count if no one hears it?!)

9. Just for the fun of it, allow someone behind you in the checkout line to go first. (Double check, usually to the detriment of my schedule.)

10. If you see a parent and a child together at a ball gam, shopping, or at a park, say, "It just does a heart good to see a parent spend time with his/her child." (Ummm, okay.)

11. Always pull over to the side of the road when a funeral procession approaches, and visit a cemetery once a year to read the headstones. (Check, and double check. You know genealogy addicts never pass up on visiting a cemetery!)

12. Purchase some inexpensive umbrellas, and give them to total strangers on a rainy day. (Hmmm . . . I don't even have an umbrella for myself!)