Half empty…or half full?

Don’t let negativity steal your smile.

I was planning on sharing an update on my book progress, (Exciting things happening in the Autumn writing world!) but this just had to be shared.

Sometimes I feel like there are people out there who wake up, get on their computers or go to their jobs, to school, or  to the grocery store and literally look for ways to rain down on someone else’s happiness. What is awful is these people influence the world around them in HUGE ways. Their harsh words or attitudes stick in our minds, and even if we don’t like to admit it they affect us.

I like to think of Negativity as a train, a loud train that is ever present, always honking and rumbling through the world. It is a train that is absolutely free to ride with unlimited space, and it is literally begging people to jump on board. It promises the passengers that they will never have their hopes dashed or never be fooled.  But what most passengers don’t look at when they get on board is where the train is headed….which is straight to Misery.

Negativity doesn’t just happen over night. It can happen to anyone, take over anyone’s life. And it all starts with one small choice. Maybe something bad happened, horrible even. It’s okay to be sad…heartbroken, when bad things happen. But often times we hold onto those bad things, those hurts and replay them in our minds. And because the bad things are on our mind always present even in a small way, we start to see more bad things. Before long even things we once thought were so good are tainted. We are quick to point out the faults in other people and in things, and in our own misery we try and pull others down with us. (What is that quote? Misery likes company?)  We think we immune to being fooled or hurt or disappointed, but instead we are losing friends and opportunities and dreams.

If you look for the bad in things you will ALWAYS find it. Bad things happen every day, which is why it is so easy to be negative.

Fight negativity with being positive. Being positive (just like being negative) starts with a choice. You have to choose it. And being positive doesn’t mean you have a smile on your face 24/7. Being positive is choosing to make the GOOD THINGS in life BIGGER than the bad things. Good things happen every day…and if you are looking for them you’ll find them. You’ll find more friends, more opportunities, and you’ll simply enjoy life more.