Here we are… the month of April and time for a bit of fun on April Fools’ Day. But this blog post is not an April Fools’ joke!
So combating negativity with friends, family, co-workers – HOW to manage that is the question, right? Well, my tips are super simple and probably nothing you haven’t heard before, so here goes:
- Never waste your time trying to change anyone else’s behavior – you can only manage your own
- Don’t feed the bears, and by that, I mean letting them off the hook or saying it’s okay to “their excuses, their whining, their pity parties”
- Careful with silence – often as they complain, they perceive your silence to mean you agree with their pessimistic point of view
- Learn to bypass the naysayers and circumvent the roadblocks they put in your way – some deliberately try to hold people back because of their envy, insecurity, and overall weakness
- Be your own best cheerleader when in the face of gloom and doom – rah, rah, wave those pom poms!
- Practice assertiveness by speaking up when you disagree with their opinions – the more often you are assertively optimistic with them, they will take their negativity elsewhere
- Avoid negative gossip without exception – don’t participate even by just listening without responding…a “no” response is actually a colossal character indicator
So combating negativity, it’s something we all have to do in one way or the other. And it requires courage and more than a bit of effort. No fooling!
