{"id":3229,"date":"2018-10-22T15:09:20","date_gmt":"2018-10-22T14:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/?p=3229"},"modified":"2018-10-22T15:56:10","modified_gmt":"2018-10-22T14:56:10","slug":"how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Attract Better Friends (and avoid parking tickets) \u200b"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3270\" src=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends.jpg\" alt=\"Friends\" width=\"1277\" height=\"733\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends.jpg 1277w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends-768x441.jpg 768w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends-1024x588.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1277px) 100vw, 1277px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Prefer to listen?<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/anchor.fm\/davidwithington\/embed\/episodes\/How-to-Attract-Better-Friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets-e2f26j\" width=\"400px\" height=\"102px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\nListen &amp; Subscribe in <a href=\"https:\/\/anchor.fm\/davidwithington\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Anchor<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/davidwithington-com\/id1365119702\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">iTunes<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3pqSjKsATP4eFOf04u5zvN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spotify<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Joe:<\/span><\/strong> \u201cIsn\u2019t it <em>terrible<\/em> that the M6 motorway is at a standstill yet again! I\u2019ll be late for work. And that sun is in my eyes!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><strong>Jerry:<\/strong><\/span> &#8220;Isn\u2019t it <em>wonderful<\/em> that this gives me time to listen to my favourite podcast in the car today. And look how sunny it is &#8211; it makes me feel great.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3230\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3230\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/traffic-2251530_640.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3230\" src=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/traffic-2251530_640.jpg\" alt=\"Terrible traffic or wonderful opportunity?\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/traffic-2251530_640.jpg 640w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/traffic-2251530_640-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3230\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Terrible traffic or wonderful opportunity?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><strong>Joe:<\/strong><\/span> &#8220;Isn\u2019t it <em>terrible<\/em> that it\u2019s raining today and it took me an hour to get to work!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><strong>Jerry:<\/strong><\/span> &#8220;Isn\u2019t it <em>wonderful<\/em> that we&#8217;ve had a glorious summer, with many weeks of sunshine and no rain, and the work commute is usually great!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Which One&#8217;s Your Friend?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Which of those two people would you rather have as your friend?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Jim Rohn famously said&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">What <em>sort of people<\/em> do <strong>you<\/strong> want to spend time with?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">The <em>Joes<\/em> or the <em>Jerrys<\/em>?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">And perhaps just as importantly, <em>are you the sort of person <strong>other people<\/strong><\/em> want to spend their time with?<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3237\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3237\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/friends-2531455_640.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3237\" src=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/friends-2531455_640.jpg\" alt=\"Who do you want to spend your time with?\" width=\"640\" height=\"423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/friends-2531455_640.jpg 640w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/friends-2531455_640-300x198.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3237\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Who do you want to spend your time with?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Who Do I Want To Be With?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I\u2019d rather spend time with the likes of Jerry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">With grateful people. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">With those who have a good attitude to life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">And I bet <em>you<\/em> would, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But there are <strong>other advantages<\/strong> of having an attitude of gratitude&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3239\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3239\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/life-2048978_640.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3239\" src=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/life-2048978_640.jpg\" alt=\"A good attitude to life carries lots of benefits\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/life-2048978_640.jpg 640w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/life-2048978_640-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3239\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A good attitude to life carries lots of benefits<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">The Youth and the Traffic Warden<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Sometime in my youth, I went to a church youth-camp and the speaker talked about being grateful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">He told us many stories, gave us lots of examples to think about, and it all had quite an impression on me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">All good stuff. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But was it practical?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I\u2019d soon find out.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">The Bank Holiday Nightmare<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">A few months later I was able to put this guy&#8217;s ideas to the test.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Our Youth Group went to Bowness on Windermere&#8230; on a sunny Bank Holiday Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Can you believe that? Who goes to such a tourist magnet on a Bank Holiday?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Anyway&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">The town was packed with people, the car parks were full and overflowing, the streets were full of cars.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">In my little Austin Mini 850, I drove my 3 passengers around and around the town, hoping and praying to find a small space somewhere where I could park the tiny car.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3243\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3243\" style=\"width: 426px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Mini.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3243\" src=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Mini.jpg\" alt=\"You could park a Mini anywhere... except on a Bank Holiday in the Lake District\" width=\"426\" height=\"423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Mini.jpg 426w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Mini-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Mini-300x298.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 426px) 100vw, 426px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3243\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">You could park a Mini anywhere&#8230; except on a Bank Holiday in the Lake District<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Suddenly I found a spot on an isolated country road, well out of town, where there was room for two cars.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So I parked up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">And so did my friend, John, who\u2019d been patiently following me around as I manoeuvred the little Mini around the town and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">&#8220;Hey, John,&#8221; I said. &#8220;There\u2019s a yellow line, and the plate says the restriction starts at Easter &#8211; which is this weekend&#8230; but look!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I waved my arm along the section of the road.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">&#8220;Everyone else is parked here. We\u2019re not blocking anyone. So it must be OK.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">&#8220;Yeah! We\u2019ll be fine,&#8221; said John, confidently.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3254\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3254\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/yellow-line.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3254\" src=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/yellow-line.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;It's just a single yellow line...&quot;\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/yellow-line.jpg 600w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/yellow-line-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3254\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;It&#8217;s just a single yellow line&#8230;&#8221;<br \/><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\">Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So off we all trotted to find our friends somewhere amongst the crowds in town.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">And what a great day we had.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But sometime during the afternoon we saw a traffic warden issuing a parking ticket, and we felt sorry for the poor person who&#8217;d parked in the unauthorised spot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">&#8220;There\u2019s another traffic warden,&#8221; said John.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">&#8220;And there\u2019s a policeman issuing a ticket on that car too.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">We looked at each other.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">&#8220;I think we\u2019d better move our cars,&#8221; I said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But it was too late.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Both John and I found big sticky black and yellow plastic envelopes fixed to our car windscreens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I tore open the plastic and confirmed my fears.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">\u201cYeah, it\u2019s a parking ticket, John.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">&#8220;Have they nothing better to do?&#8221; complained John. &#8220;We weren\u2019t blocking the road or causing a problem. And the restriction only started 2 days ago. And you know what&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But I wasn\u2019t listening.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">My mind had gone back to what I\u2019d heard a few months previously.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So I decided, there and then, that I wouldn&#8217;t complain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Instead, I found something to be grateful for.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I started to be thankful for the great day we&#8217;d had up to now. The day was sunny. We\u2019d had lots of fun. I was out in the Lake District fresh air with friends. I owned a car to get us here&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">However&#8230; it wasn&#8217;t easy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Walking back into town, John was complaining continuously.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3262\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3262\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/rain-1013941_640.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3262\" src=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/rain-1013941_640.jpg\" alt=\"John walked under a cloud for the rest of the day\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/rain-1013941_640.jpg 640w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/rain-1013941_640-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/rain-1013941_640-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3262\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">John walked under a cloud for the rest of the day<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I kept trying to change the subject. Trying to make it more positive. Trying to cheer him up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But all he did was moan.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">The Discovery<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">When I arrived home that night and got chance to look at the parking ticket, I noticed something interesting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">The date was incorrect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">In his haste to scribble the parking ticket, the traffic warden had shaped the number 20 more like number 26.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3256\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3256\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/20-26.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3256\" src=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/20-26.jpg\" alt=\"Was it a 20... or a 26...?\" width=\"500\" height=\"264\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/20-26.jpg 500w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/20-26-300x158.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3256\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Was it a 20&#8230; or a 26&#8230;?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So I wrote a letter to the Chief Constable and told him I believed the ticket was invalid &#8211; as it displayed a date in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">After about a week of waiting (what did we do before emails?) I received a reply which effectively said:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">We\u2019ll let you off this time, but don\u2019t do it again.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Was I a happy bunny or what?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But what about John?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">He complained about his ticket.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But in the end, he had to pay the fine.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3258\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3258\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/complaining-154204_640.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3258\" src=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/complaining-154204_640.png\" alt=\"John complained. But he still had to pay.\" width=\"250\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/complaining-154204_640.png 320w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/complaining-154204_640-150x300.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3258\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">John complained but he still had to pay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Powerful Attitude of Gratitude?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So did my gratitude make the difference?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Did being grateful wipe the fine?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">You&#8217;ll have to make up your own mind on that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But listen&#8230; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">After this event, I discovered in other circumstances that adopting an attitude of gratitude made a big difference in those too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So for me, it works.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But what if it hadn\u2019t made a difference to the outcome of the parking ticket, David?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Well&#8230; it made a difference to me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">What do you mean?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Life Choices<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Because John had chosen to complain, he was miserable for the rest of that day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But because I had chosen to be grateful, I was happy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/expressions-francaises-1300622_640.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3265\" src=\"http:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/expressions-francaises-1300622_640.png\" alt=\"Happy or sad\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/expressions-francaises-1300622_640.png 640w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/expressions-francaises-1300622_640-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/expressions-francaises-1300622_640-300x300.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Which of us would you have preferred to hang around with?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Yeah! I thought so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So an attitude of gratitude has lots of benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">You attract the best people around you<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">You&#8217;re happier<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">And things might well turn out good for you<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Try it tomorrow morning when you get stuck in that traffic jam on the M6 motorway.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Instead of&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">What a stupid motorway this is&#8230;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Try this&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I\u2019m so glad it wasn\u2019t like this when we needed to get to the airport to begin our holiday.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">When that dangerous driver in the BMW cuts you up, try&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I\u2019m so glad I\u2019m not married to him\/her.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Get into the <em>gratitude<\/em> habit and you\u2019ll<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Become a happier person<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Arrive calm<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Maintain a healthy blood pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">And attract great people into your life<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Remember what Jim Rohn said&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Let&#8217;s aim to be one one of those five people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Be a Jerry. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Let me know what happens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Now have a listen to it!<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/anchor.fm\/davidwithington\/embed\/episodes\/How-to-Attract-Better-Friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets-e2f26j\" width=\"400px\" height=\"102px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\nListen &amp; Subscribe in <a href=\"https:\/\/anchor.fm\/davidwithington\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Anchor<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/davidwithington-com\/id1365119702\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">iTunes<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3pqSjKsATP4eFOf04u5zvN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Spotify<\/a><\/p>\n<span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdavidwithington.com%2Fhow-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets%2F&#038;text=How%20to%20attract%20better%20friends%20%28and%20avoid%20parking%20tickets%29.%20%23friends%20%23JimRohn&#038;via=thabacus&#038;related=thabacus' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to attract better friends (and avoid parking tickets). #friends #JimRohn <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdavidwithington.com%2Fhow-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets%2F&#038;text=How%20to%20attract%20better%20friends%20%28and%20avoid%20parking%20tickets%29.%20%23friends%20%23JimRohn&#038;via=thabacus&#038;related=thabacus' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prefer to listen? Listen &amp; Subscribe in Anchor or iTunes or Spotify Joe: \u201cIsn\u2019t it terrible that the M6 motorway is at a standstill yet again! I\u2019ll be late for work. And that sun is in my eyes!&#8221; Jerry: &#8220;Isn\u2019t it wonderful that this gives me time to listen to my favourite podcast in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,289],"tags":[367,366,348,14,52,272,365,363,364],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Attract Better Friends (and avoid parking tickets) \u200b - David Withington<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Does attitude make a difference? Can it change an outcome? When I tried being grateful after a parking ticket, a miracle happened...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Attract Better Friends (and avoid parking tickets) \u200b - David Withington\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Does attitude make a difference? Can it change an outcome? When I tried being grateful after a parking ticket, a miracle happened...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"David Withington\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/david.withington\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-22T14:09:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-10-22T14:56:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1277\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"733\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Thabacus\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Thabacus\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/\",\"name\":\"How to Attract Better Friends (and avoid parking tickets) \u200b - David Withington\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-22T14:09:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-10-22T14:56:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1addaa34e66e39facfd4d4cd70a920ca\"},\"description\":\"Does attitude make a difference? Can it change an outcome? When I tried being grateful after a parking ticket, a miracle happened...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends.jpg\",\"width\":1277,\"height\":733,\"caption\":\"Friends\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Attract Better Friends (and avoid parking tickets) \u200b\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/\",\"name\":\"David Withington\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1addaa34e66e39facfd4d4cd70a920ca\",\"name\":\"David\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/144c0d94d4351655605f044fc10115e2?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/144c0d94d4351655605f044fc10115e2?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g\",\"caption\":\"David\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/author\/david\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Attract Better Friends (and avoid parking tickets) \u200b - David Withington","description":"Does attitude make a difference? Can it change an outcome? When I tried being grateful after a parking ticket, a miracle happened...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Attract Better Friends (and avoid parking tickets) \u200b - David Withington","og_description":"Does attitude make a difference? Can it change an outcome? When I tried being grateful after a parking ticket, a miracle happened...","og_url":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/","og_site_name":"David Withington","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/david.withington","article_published_time":"2018-10-22T14:09:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-10-22T14:56:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1277,"height":733,"url":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"David","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Thabacus","twitter_site":"@Thabacus","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"David","Estimated reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/","url":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/","name":"How to Attract Better Friends (and avoid parking tickets) \u200b - David Withington","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends.jpg","datePublished":"2018-10-22T14:09:20+00:00","dateModified":"2018-10-22T14:56:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1addaa34e66e39facfd4d4cd70a920ca"},"description":"Does attitude make a difference? Can it change an outcome? When I tried being grateful after a parking ticket, a miracle happened...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Friends.jpg","width":1277,"height":733,"caption":"Friends"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-to-attract-better-friends-and-avoid-parking-tickets\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Attract Better Friends (and avoid parking tickets) \u200b"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/","name":"David Withington","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1addaa34e66e39facfd4d4cd70a920ca","name":"David","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/144c0d94d4351655605f044fc10115e2?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/144c0d94d4351655605f044fc10115e2?s=96&d=wavatar&r=g","caption":"David"},"url":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/author\/david\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3229"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}