Thinking positive has always been a way to uplift one’s mental outlook. By focusing on the conscious choice that one can make in order to see the glass as half full rather than empty, troubled teenagers can make the decision to benefit their own mental well-being. “MindSigns Personal Billboards” is a book composed of 52 signs which can help motivate your teenager to stay positive through affirmations and thought-provoking questions, despite the problems that an adolescent may face. The book has one sign for every week of the year which can be utilized as visual motivation.

Ron Ball, the author of the book, created the idea by helping his teen daughter when she struggled with depression. He formed "personal billboards" in order to keep her visually motivated and uplift her outlook. "I thought the signs could have a similar effect on other people, helping them stay positive through challenges and difficulties. Then I realized that today we're all dealing with so much bad news - terminal diseases, economic turmoil, terrorism and war - and hoped the book could help kids and adults stay positive through it all," said Ball.

“We keep hearing how we need to help children deal with what's going on, but the truth is we all need to figure out how to deal with it. We're overloaded with downbeat news and information that can make us feel afraid, uncertain, or insecure. When we stop and focus on our thoughts, it's surprising what's buzzing around in our heads day and night. Instead of yielding to negative or fearful thoughts, we can opt to consciously choose more positive or beneficial thoughts."

Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign showed that helpful thoughts are initiated by happy people. “People might increase their subjective well being through control of their thoughts.” said Dr. Ed Diener, from the University’s Department of Psychology.

Dr. Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania, known for his research on optimism, remarked “People can control their thoughts much like controlling their muscles. People’s styles of thinking then become their habits.”

Ball’s teenage daughter grew positively from the mind signs. “Depression feels like being locked in a cage. The signs my dad created made me smile and feel happy. They were uplifting,” said Lauren Ball.

In order to help his teen daughter with her depression, aside from getting her professional treatment, he also put up small motivating signs all around the house— on the refrigerator, mirrors, doors, walls, and anywhere else he could stick something. Her positive reaction to these signs made him think of sharing this with other troubled teenagers through the book “MindSigns Personal Billboards.”

For more information, check out www.mindsigns.com