A few years back, I had a colleague at work who constantly complained about everything (yes I do mean everything).
It seemed that every day, he complained about his boss, the weather, the copy machine, the “rich getting richer”, his wife, his kids, his neighbors, his job, etc. – you get the picture.
Whenever he called me or stopped by, I knew he had something to complain about.
He had what I call the negativity virus.
Symptoms of the negativity virus include:
- seeing anything from a negative standpoint all the time
- complaining instead of coming up with solutions for things you could control
- complaining for things out of your control
- whining and complaining to others about stuff outside of their control
- not appreciating life and all it has to offer
- not being thankful
As we approach the Thanksgiving season, it’s important to recognize these symptoms.
My colleague ended up not only losing his job, he lost his family. The family broke up after the divorce and he lost his home as well.
Let me be clear – I am not saying that his negativity virus actually directly caused all of this to happen. I just know that the negativity virus blocked his opportunity to prosper.
Another way to say this is that positive things happen to positive people.
Negative people don’t “see” positive things. They ignore them or consider them negative – and with that – they attract truly negative things.
How to combat the negativity virus
During conversations, I would plead with him to please begin to look at the bright side of things. I articulated the power of positive thinking and most importantly, the need to be thankful and appreciate all we are blessed with.
I also noted that as a family dad, his words were hurting rather than building those around him.
His response was that he couldn’t do any of that. He said he needed to be himself and “tell it like it is – like it or not”. His negativity was only made worse by his stubbornness.
After a while, I moved on. He would call me once in a while.
Once I sensed the negativity creeping into the conversation, I’d make an excuse to end the call.
I didn’t want to catch that negativity virus.
I learned that the best way to combat it is to stay away from it. It will drain away your energy, ambition and motivation.
Instead, surround yourself with positive people. Positive people will provide support, encouragement, and most all be thankful for what they have.
As a family dad, set the example and encourage your family to be this way. Banish negative self-talk and self-defeatist thinking from your household.
Stop negativity on its tracks and master the art of living thankfully and positively inspiring those you touch every day.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
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