Avoiding Negativity
Philippians 4:8-9
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
What are negative people?
Negative people can be real downers in any conversation. No matter what you say, they have a way of spinning things in a negative direction. Some negative people can be so negative that it feels draining just being around them.
The reality is that many people feed off of negativity and they just don’t feel right if they aren’t griping about something.
1. Change your Language
Try avoiding words like “never” and “always” for a day. Instead of saying that you can never do something right, say that you’ve struggled with it in the past, but will do what you can to change that.
2. Take Action
A lot of the negativity that comes out of a person’s mouth is a direct result of their thoughts. If you’re constantly thinking negatively about someone or a situation, then the first words from your mouth will be negative. Instead, take action to change those negative thoughts instead of letting them simmer in your mind. Complete that project or go talk to the person that is causing you to have negative thoughts.
3. Avoid Gossip
This may be the most difficult one because it is human nature to get juicy details on someone when they aren’t there. All that leads to are negative thoughts about that person or people, which isn’t good for anyone. The next time you are hanging out with your family or friends, declare it a “gossip-free day” and see what else can be talked about.
4. Do Things that Make You Happy
If you aren’t happy, then you will naturally think negatively. Instead, do things that you like to do. Go play golf or ride a bike or whatever it is that takes you to your happy place. You will be able to reduce the negative energy that you have and get some positive thinking going through your mind.
5. Random Acts of Kindness
If you’re having one of those days where you just want to get away from the world, try to brighten someone else’s day. These random acts of kindness can be as simple as helping someone put groceries into their car, or even paying for their coffee without them knowing. You may not think it right now, but you will feel a lot better when you know you made someone else’s day a little better.
6. Write Down Negative Thoughts
This one will really surprise you. Every time you are sitting at home or at work and have a negative thought, make a conscious effort to write down that thought. Then at the end of the day, review what you wrote down and rephrase them into positive sentences. If you are a natural negative thinker, then the list may be too long to go through, or you may not even realize that you’re thinking negatively because it is natural. Practice doing this for a week and you will realize how often you have negative thoughts throughout the day.
7. Don’t Take Things Personally
When you are practicing being more positive, you will become more aware of the negative people around you. Any time you hear someone speaking in a negative tone to you or someone else, just smile and know that you aren’t like that anymore. Smiling and making light of negative situations will make you feel much better and put up a barrier that won’t allow negativity to enter into your mind.
Below are 5 ways to remain positive around negative people we cannot avoid or don’t want to remove from our lives.
Don’t take it personally.
Remain grateful for what is going well.
Remind yourself that everyone has their own journeys.
View this challenge as an opportunity for growth and self-discovery.
Spend time alone.
Its human nature to have negativity at times, but the successful people in the world are able to conquer it. Nothing good can come out of being negative, so why waste your energy on it? Come to the realization that you can think negative thoughts, but turn them into positives. Once you are able to do that, you will be on your way to leading a more happy and successful career and personal life.
We can no longer sail with the world’s wind and expect a better life and promising future for our children, ourselves and communities. For an aircraft to increase in altitude, it must fly against the wind. As Christian men, we must fly against personal, tumultuous world-winds to propel our families and communities to higher ground in God’s Kingdom
