Podcast Center
Video Center
Webcasts
Resource Center
Events
December 13, 2011 at 11:00 PM
I don’t really remember a time in my life when I had negative thoughts. I am sure there must have been some occasions, but not being able to remember them suggests they have been rare. In fact, thinking about it, one of the words most often used to describe me by friends, colleagues and staff is “positive.”
I am genuinely uncomfortable in the company of negative people; I have nothing in common with them, but I do have my own “repellant” (more about that in a moment).
A quotation my mother often used was:
“Experience informs us that the first offence of weak minds is to recriminate.”—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
And indeed, I have discovered that negative people typically suffer from what I call the three “C’s”: criticizing, condemning and complaining. So let me share some tips to help you overcome negativity and to recognize it in others.
Try to develop your own understanding of what negativity really is. Remember that constructive criticism is not negative. Check your conversations with others. Are you being negative? Check your thoughts and thinking processes. Remember, if you are thinking negatively, the only person you are harming is yourself. Remove those thoughts as you would spam email from your inbox. Discard them. You have the capacity to do that and your mind will respond if you try hard enough.
