Debbie Downer...Eliminating Negativity

The Debbie Downer…I'm sure you have met one of those people before.  You know, that person that is just always negative, always down, always complaining, always making excuses, and just walks around with a very blah attitude. If you have spent any amount of time around someone like that, you know…they just drain your energy. While I definitely don’t think I would categorize myself (and you probably wouldn’t think of yourself) as a Debbie Downer, I think we can all pay better attention to the negativity that is both in us and around us. So, today, I want to focus on negativity. I would 100% consider myself to be a positive person.  Yet, over the past week, I took an inventory of every comparison, complaint, and criticism I made.  Ouch...this simple exercise made it clear to me that I have a lot of work to do if I want to live a happy, peaceful life. While we probably won't eliminate negativity from our lives, we can all do better. What if we intentionally focused on the good around us? What if we stopped before we said something rude or critical? What if we found something positive instead of complaining about something we don’t like? What if we celebrated and allowed ourselves to be truly joyful about someone else’s success? Listen, you can make a difference in the world around you. No, you might not be in a position of power, but you change world by changing yourself. Positivity, just like negativity, is contagious. In a world where everyone seems to celebrate the bad, be the one that finds the good. In a world that wants to see others struggle, genuinely celebrate other people’s wins. In a world that tells you that you should speak your mind and opinion at all costs, hold your tongue. In a world that is consumed by media, step away. In a world where people make themselves feel better by putting others down and gossiping, lift others up. We have the power to impact and influence others. Start today. Watch out for the Debbie downers, and please, if you find that you are the negative one, decide to change. Here's the quote that inspired this entire podcast, and I hope it inspires you today too.   “Remember, saying whatever we want, whenever we want, however we want, is not freedom. Real freedom is not feeling the need to say these things.” - Jay Shetty Enjoy!