Hold your head high & do the RIGHT thing!

There’s no room for negativity in my life! I have been told that I am annoyingly positive.... well THANK YOU!  Attitudes are contagious, and I work hard to surround myself only with people that lift me up. You ARE who you SURROUND yourself with... right? You must protect your positive attitude, as negativity will only detract from your destination... and no one wants that!  Do you have negative people in your life? Well, I have four tips to help you deal with negativity and stay focused on the positive.

 FIRST you have to know that it is not your responsibility to make another person happy. I have been learning this more and more through my time with personal development. Negativity comes from those who are unhappy with themselves or their own circumstances. However, it might be directed at you because you have triggered something in them… For instance, your success may trigger negativity from a less successful friend, a spouse in poor health might express negativity toward your new healthy habits, or a coworker might nitpick at you because of their feelings about their own unmet potential. These are their problems, not yours.

But there are ways to deal with these people without letting it affect your own positive attitude…and you may even encourage them to be more positive themselves! While some people recommend simply ignoring negativity, here’s what works for me…

4 Steps to Nix Negativity

1. Respond in Kindness.
Always respond in kindness and with love in your heart. Don’t match negative with more negative. Be kind. You can have empathy for their situation or what they might be feeling, but also know it’s their “issue” not yours.

2. Respond with a Smile or “Thank You.”
If someone has a negative comment to make, just smile, or reply with a “thank you” to put an end to the conversation. Disputing or arguing with them only heightens negativity. Remember, while you might not be able to change the person’s attitude, your reaction is the one thing you can control.

3. Let it Go.
Hanging on to a person’s negative remarks or the jabs they’ve taken only gives their negativity more energy and brings you down. You must decide to let it go.

4. Ignore it.
Finally, when all else fails, just ignore it. Sometimes a positive response just won’t do the trick. And in those situations, you must simply ignore it. Don’t let it the negativity affect you. Remind yourself that it’s not your issue, let go of whatever was said, and move forward. Stay focused on the positive and do your best to surround yourself with more people that fuel that positivity.

There is FAR too much in life we have to be thankful for!
DIG DEEP & be the person you want to be!

xoxo,
Brittany

Resource: Chalene Johnson