Be Positive Do Something Positive Day, March 1, Created Through Tragedy

After surviving three years of loss, trauma, and grief, Harold Cameron has transformed himself into the “The Chief of Helping People.” His mission and passion is to encourage positive thought and action and, along with the governors of three states, he has proclaimed March 1 to be “Be Positive, Do Something Positive Day”.

Governor Jennifer Granholm wrote in an official proclamation, “The citizens of Michigan, as well as those across the country, are experiencing negative news on a daily basis, and as a result are feeling the negative emotional and health impacts of this news.”

Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania agreed and extended his support of the March 1 effort. “It is my hope that positivity in thought and action will lead people to be more positive and do some good things for another person, organization or charity.”

Governor M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut has also joined with Harold Cameron, along with Senator Arlen Specter, Senator Robert Casey, Jr., and Congressman Paul Kanjorski. Hundreds of people have even contacted President Bush asking him to issue a Presidential Proclamation for the “Be Positive Day”.

The genesis of positive thinking for Cameron, 51, occurred when he read the best-selling book, The Secret. It turned his life around and ignited a passion for positive action toward others.

Before his encounter with the book in November of 2006, he had experienced three years of loss, trauma, and pain, the likes of which only the biblical character Job could have imagined.

First his mother passed away, then his step-mother passed away, “who was a saint.” He developed two brain tumors before his father passed away. “He was my hero and the wind beneath my wings.”

He was burned out of his home and lost nearly everything. He lost his rights to the family homestead, where he had lived as a child and young adult. His sister, who was suffering with mental illness, suddenly suffered two strokes and had to move in with Harold. “She was so bad I had to have her committed to a mental institution.”

Disabled with illness, he lost his job at a printing company, which he had loved.  Meanwhile his sons’ lives were in absolute chaos and one of them twice tried to kill himself.

“Needless to say, things were not looking good,” Harold told me. “But one day I was watching Oprah on TV and she raved about a book called, The Secret, and I knew I had to have the book.”

“I got it and started reading it—no devouring it—as my soul was starving for something positive. My head, my heart, my entire being needed to know “The Secret” and discover it I did.

As a result of reading and practicing what the book teaches, along with a daily practice of meditation and visualization, his life began to change.

“I changed my thoughts and I changed my life. I started helping people as a consumer advocate which gave me a great deal of joy and satisfaction, Cameron said. “I also created The Be Positive, Do Some thing Positive Day.”

“I knew how I had suffered and how my life had been. At the time I sure needed something positive, but I also realized other people needed someone and something positive in their lives as well…someone like them—not rich and famous…just an average guy who could relate to them on a personal level, respond to their pain, and help them in a positive way, (with no hidden agenda or asking for anything in return).”

Since then his life and the direction of his life has been all-positive. His health overall has improved. His sons are doing better than they have in years.

Through his collective philanthropic efforts to help consumers — under the banner of Harold Says — he helps people from all across our country with their consumer issues or questions.

He cites these examples:

• A young lady who recently lost her father and mother, (within a 5 month period of time), called me with a crisis situation. She is an epileptic and has grand mal seizures. She had been out of her medication, Depakote, for over 30 days. Because of missing an appointment with the state agency that oversees our medical assistance program she lost her benefits so she could not afford the medication. That very day I had a small supply of medication for her, at no cost to her, and within a couple of days her benefits were reinstated. She is now on her medications, has the benefits she needs and is doing much better.
• A disabled young man had applied for Social Security Disability. He had not heard anything about his claim in months. I contacted people I work with at the SSA and within a couple of months he was approved for his benefits and got his first check in the mail. I have helped several people get their SSA disability claims issues resolved.
• A family had a complaint concerning their Lenovo laptop computer and could not get it resolved with the company. I made a couple of calls to the executive offices at Lenovo and within a short period of time the laptop was repaired by the company at no expense to the consumer and returned. The laptop is now working fine and the family is satisfied with the results.

“My message is one of positivity and hope for all people everywhere in the world. I believe that as we change our thoughts we change our lives. I am living proof of that. My mission is to promote a positive message and action to all people so that we can create change in our homes, our communities, our states, in our country and in our world. My goal is to create a safer, better, and more positive world in which we all can live.