Why Wallow In Negativity? Be Positive Instead!

I always try to make sure that whenever I read anything negative or hear a negative word spoken to me or to someone I know, I look inwardly and take a deep breath.  Do I counter the negativity, or do I just try to remain positive?  I always try to remain positive, but it is always easier said than done. We encounter some people who seem to enjoy wallowing in negativity. I’ve even encountered a lot of people who seem to like to put other people in a negative light. Or, they seem to find faults in the things that we say or do. Why am I writing about this? You will see.

I am the type of person who reads the tweets from the people in my Twitter stream. I also like reading blogs (a lot of them), and I go through the comments written. I must say, there are a lot of negative comments that I get to read on a day to day basis. I am not stating here that I don’t think we should write your opinions, I think giving feedback is great. We should state our opinions and stand by our beliefs. However, what I am saying here is that we should also try to make that opinion count by not necessarily using negative words or by putting another person down. There are things we should consider when expressing our opinions. We can consider these things and still be heard.

1. Be constructive in your criticism – Constructive criticism is a compassionate attitude towards the person qualified for criticism. It’s about having higher experience, gifts, respect or knowledge in specific field and being able to verbally convince at the same time. This person intends to uplift the other person materially, morally, emotionally or spiritually. There can be tension between friendly support and useful criticism. A critic might usefully help an individual artist to recognize what is poor in his body of work, but the critic may appear harsh and judgmental in the process. Useful criticism is a practical part of constructive criticism.

2. Choose your words wisely – Choosing your words can help ease tension, allowing the person being criticized to listen to you instead of looking at you as an enemy.

3. Give a possible solution and express what you think should be done – Your opinion will be more appreciated by the person receiving your criticism if you state the facts and give them possible options for what you think should be done. Again, tension is eased and both parties will benefit from the conversation. Putting another person down will not only give him or her lower self esteem, but it can also make the person aggressive towards your thoughts or ideas.

I love this quote from Sidney Madweb, “If constructive thoughts are planted positive outcomes will be the result. Plant the seeds of failure and failure will follow.”

And for those who receive negative comments on their blogs, its okay, do not feel down or disheartened, especially if you are not doing anything wrong. Check out The 5 Reasons To Smile When You Get Negative Blog Comments, written by Diana. Life is too short to sow the seed of negativity. What do you think?

Main Image Source – Sunny Damn It