Negativity is contagious. If you disagree then I have some property to sell you in the middle of the Arctic Circle! In my last blog post I talked about the consequences of keeping negative people in your life.
Seriously, what people think of themselves, their circumstances, or you can affect what you think about yourself, your circumstances, or your thoughts of others. It's a law of human nature. If you surround yourself with sweet you smell sweet.
If you surround yourself with sour you smell sour.
But here's the difference between negative and positive statements; the negative statements cause the greatest shifts in our thinking and behavior. Not only from good to bad, but bad to worse. Another law of human nature.
This has all the trappings of group think. You see, the opinions of others exert strong influence on your attitudes particularly when their opinions are negative. This impacts your perceptions. When your perceptions are faulty or negative you lose out on life. On the future you are striving to move toward.
So what can you do if you find yourself surrounded by negative people?
Follow these three steps:
- Teach yourself to recognize negative people - the words, the actions.
- Lower (or lose) your toleration of negative people - they are not allowed to cross boundaries - at any time!
- Dis-invite them from your life - immediately!
Now, some of these (or all of these) may sound a bit harsh. Great!
The only sure thing to combat negative people is harsh, no-holds-bar action. Don't be afraid to remove yourself from the noxious effects of their negativity. This is a sure sign of how much you value you.
