How can positivity with yourself and others change your life? Real Talk Ahead.
Over the past few years and as I age (yuck), I noticed I have become Negative Nancy (sorry to anyone named Nancy, I didn’t make up the saying). I don’t think this was intentional, but just how my mind was wired. I’d have a really good work meeting, workout, or day in general, and I’d find myself saying, “that was awesome, but I could’ve done this (insert action) better.”
I’m all about reflecting and growing from experiences, but my negativity didn’t end there. I found myself partaking in conversations that were gossipy and pure “hater” status. I’m not proud of these moments, which is why I’m coming clean and sharing how I’m working on overcoming this negativity.
Have you gotten a screenshot from friends and then begin to rip apart the person in group chat? Have you caught yourself saying, “She’s pretty, but…” or maybe jumping right to, “who does she think she is?”
I blame social media for the uptick in all this negativity because we’re exposed to so much more than we were in the past and, I mean, filters. We never know what’s real and what’s “edited.” Does that mean we should question everything that scrolls through our screen?
Now, we all have friends or acquaintances who post a little too much on social media and we might know for a fact that what they’re sharing is FAR from the truth. This content doesn’t infuriate me anymore, it makes me sad. Let’s do some perspective taking and think what might be happening in that person’s life and why they feel the need to share something (b/c they really don’t have to share anything) that isn’t true. These feelings of sadness made me reflect more on how I react to other people.
My husband pointed it out recently and that’s what really ignited the need/want to make a change. He said something along the lines of, you’re always talking sh*t, finding the negative in situations and being mean. WHOA! Now, that was a lot to take in and initially, I was in disagreement {of course}. Scary truth, he was right. Looking back over the past year, I realized I became the dreaded “Negative Nancy” and probably not so great to be around. Sorry, friends.
I’m still a work in progress, but now when I hear drama or negativity, I stop and think… how will talking “sh*t” on this person make me a better person? {Nope.} Is participating in this convo for entertainment purposes? {If so, cease and desist.} How can I live my best life possible and add some positivity back into the world? {No one is perfect, but trying to do a little good each day is a step in the right direction.}