How To Deal With Negativity
One thing that I have a hard time with is negativity. People who constantly complain, assume the worst, and just have a negative outlook on everything in life.
I understand that part of being human is feeling negative every once in a while. It happens to everyone, including me. I could be negative for a moment, hour, day, or even a few days. But despite all that, I choose to live my life every day as positively as possible.
I choose to not give into pessimism. I couldn’t live with myself if I always expected the worst out of people. I’d always think that my friends hate me deep down inside, that strangers on the street want to rob me, poor people are lay, and anyone who look like foreigners are terrorists. By assuming the worst in people, I’d bring out the worst in myself. Alternatively, if we assume the best in people, we bring out the best in ourselves.
When people are consistently negative, I know not to judge. They’ve somehow been victimized somewhere along the line. They may have had a negative experience with someone and associate that negativity with everyone else of that gender, race, religion, or social group. It’s tragic, yet understandable.
They may have been raised by negative people. Pessimism, like prejudice, is both taught and learned. To overcome negativity, it must be un-learned. It takes effort. It takes a conscious choice to be positive, loving, and happy. It takes self-awareness to catch yourself when you’re feeling negative, think negative thoughts about yourself or others, or say anything negative, pessimistic, or limiting.
When you feel yourself being judgmental, be understanding. When you catch yourself expecting the worse in someone, remind yourself that they also have a good side. When you think that the world is a horrible place to live in, take a moment to look around and see its beauty. If that isn’t enough, think of all the incredible things that have ever happened in your life. Even if you don’t have as much as others, remind yourself that it doesn’t matter; you still have had good things happen in your life. Take ownership of them. They happened in YOUR life, and that’s what truly matters.
Being positive can be hard, but it’s a lot harder to live a negative life.
Roderick Conwi writes about personal and professional development at Nourishment Notes. He is also the author of The Procrastinator's Quick Guide To Getting It Done. To get powerful insights to enhance your day, join his FREE newsletter.
