Fighting against negativity

“Negativity is cannibalistic. The more you feed it, the bigger and stronger it grows.” – Bobby Darnell

People become negative for so many different reasons. Some are not happy with their personal or professional lives, some may be insecure and some may get that magnetic pull from others around them. A negative attitude is just as infectious as a positive one.

When you find yourself feeling negative, it’s important to put things into perspective. When I find myself feeling negatively, I like to reflect on things I’ve seen, heard about or read with people in situations far worse than me. I was stationed in Germany at the military hospital where our nations heroes were coming for care. The day I flew into country, I was tired and jet-lagged. It was right in the middle of the season where we were training all the new Navy Chiefs. I had to get up at 3:30 am to go train with them. That morning I was dragging and complaining about how tired I was. Later that afternoon I found myself in the ICU standing at the foot of the bed of not one, but two heroes who were flown in that day. Both had lost both of their legs. Talk about a humbling experience. It helped me put my tiredness into perspective. I would eventually adjust and catch up on sleep. These two American heroes’ lives would never be the same. They would adjust, but never back to how they used to be.

In the professional realm, it is also easy to get sucked into the vortex of negativity. I’ve found the best way to combat that is to have a positive attitude. People often look up to the person who can remain positive through the hardest of times. Looking at what matters to you the most is helpful. Is getting home to spend time with your new baby, or with your spouse more important than getting caught up in the office politics and negativity? Think about a way to take the negative energy in the office and turn it into something positive.

Something to remember; don’t mistake someone that needs to vent as negativity. Sometimes people just need an ear. You can turn a possible negative situation into a positive one by being a person that pulls someone who is becoming negative out of a group and pulling them aside to listen. You may find out they have some valid concerns or that the problem lies deeper.

The most important thing is to focus on the positive, focus of what is most important to you and to assess whether the negative situation directly impacts you. If it doesn’t, it may be best to remove yourself from the person or people who are being negative to prevent yourself from getting pulled in.

Thank you for reading. I’m looking forward to hearing how you fight negativity.

Have an amazing week.