Negative
Thinking
‘Negativitis’ cripples
the human spirit
Does it seem
strange that some people COMPLAIN they don’t
have enough TIME to be happy, yet they find enough time to be sad?
Not really. You see, their deplorable plight has nothing to do
with having sufficient or insufficient time. It has everything
to do with complaining. After all, complaining is the negation
of happiness. It’s impossible to complain and be happy at
the same time.
So, beware
of that insidious disease known as ‘negativitis’ (negative
thinking). It is as pervasive as the common cold, but far more
damaging. It mutilates, cripples, and corrodes the human spirit.
Those infected by it are broken men and women aimlessly plodding
along. The dark clouds brooding over them obscure their vision
and cause them to become confrontational, apathetic, and cynical.
Their lives are like flat champagne, without any sizzle. So, how
do we inoculate ourselves against such a harmful disease? It was
only after learning about the horrible effects of smoking that
people began to give it up. It may be wise to do the same here.
So, let’s review the effects of negativitis.
1. Complaining
is worse than doing nothing, for it is digging the rut one is
in deeper and deeper. Each time one complains, it
becomes increasingly difficult to climb out of the ditch they’ve
created. To loosen the grip of this vicious habit, we need to become
aware of our complaining, stop it in its tracks, and immediately
look for something positive to say. It’s just a matter of
replacing a bad habit with a good one.
2. A negative
attitude is self-defeating. We won’t find
solutions to life’s problems by looking for someone or something
to blame. Those who say, "Positive thinking doesn't work for
me," have got it backwards. It’s not positive thinking
that has to work; YOU have to work. For example, you have to work
at appreciating what you have instead of moaning about what you
lack.
3. Failure to do what you want to do (be happy) causes physical
and mental stress. A rotten attitude, not only delays success,
but also shortens life by damaging the immune system (to learn
more on how your thoughts affect your immune system, investigate
psychoneuroimmunology). So, besides the diseases directly caused
by stress, such as heart disease and ulcers, we become susceptible
to all manner of other diseases because of a weakened immune system.
4. Do you know
anyone with a negative attitude? How many years have they been
that way? Two years? Five years? Ten years? That’s
how many years of happiness and success they have robbed themselves
of. Blinded by their own negativity, they are prevented from seeing
the good around them.
5. One characteristic of negative thinkers is their need to have
the world behave according to their wishes. They have never grown
up and still live with childish demands. Whenever people and the
world fail to act according to their selfish wishes, they are unhappy.
Such a poisonous attitude prevents them from growing and learning
how to cope with life's challenges.
6. Everything negative we say about ourselves to ourselves (self-talk)
and to others is a suggestion. We are unwittingly practicing self-hypnosis,
programing ourselves for failure, and creating self-fulfilling
prophecies.
7. The negative
world of our imagination creates a negative world that is real
and one that we are forced to live in. Take Ralph,
for example. He’s always complaining about life. “Nowadays
people are rude and surly. No matter where you go or what you do,
you have to deal with ill-bred people.” As he said this,
we made our way to a coffee shop. Once inside, we were greeted
by a cheerful chap who asked us what we would like. Sighing (as
if it took a great effect to speak), Ralph, almost inaudibly, ordered
a medium sized regular coffee. When it arrived, he started complaining.
Pointing to the cup, he said, “This is medium?” Without
waiting for a response, he added, “You should have told me
your cups are so small; I would have ordered a large one if I knew.” Despite
the long line that Ralph was holding up, the man behind the counter
tried to be patient. Without complaint, he took away the small
coffee and replaced it with a large one. As soon as it arrived,
Ralph looked at it aghast and bellowed, “You call this regular?
There’s not enough cream!” The man behind the counter,
who only moments ago was cheerful was now upset and sarcastically
replied, “Yes, for MOST people, this is regular, but if you
INSIST, I’ll put in more cream. Perhaps next time you may
want to ask for DOUBLE cream!” I was next, so I got my coffee
and joined Ralph at the table. “See,” he told me, “what
did I say to you? People are rude.” Yes, in Ralph’s
world, people ARE rude, but what he does not realize is he makes
them so.
8. A particularly
pernicious effect of ‘negativitis’ is
that it sets one up for the mentality of a victim. Those with a
woe-is-me attitude sit around in misery, waiting to be rescued.
But they wait in vain because no one can rescue them from their
own attitude. They are the only ones who can change it. And until
they do so, they are condemned to continue suffering.
9. Another
adverse effect of negativity is that it sets one up for the magic-bullet-syndrome.
That is, the victim of ‘negativitis’ spends
their time looking for a quick, easy fix, when none exists. By
denying a fundamental law of life that states anything worthwhile
requires effort to achieve, they achieve nothing. They won’t
make progress until they realize that nothing in life is free.
They’ve got to be willing to do what it takes to get what
they want.
10. Also, beware of the fact that negative people attract other
complainers. Because those who live in a world of doom and gloom
alienate others, they have no choice but to look for other negative
people to associate with. They then feed off one another and get
locked in a clique of losers.
11. The constant
stress that flows from a negative attitude also saps one’s
energy, focus, and motivation. It is hardly a formula for success.
12. Also of great concern is the fact that those who refuse to
work on improving their negative attitude may slide into depression,
self-pity, and hopelessness.
13. Additionally, negative people not only harm themselves; they
harm the world. They cease to make a contribution to it. Instead
of helping, they spread gloom and misery everywhere. If they insist
on infecting others, why not infect them with laughter? If they
must carry something contagious, why not carry a smile?
Imagine being
in a small boat drifting in a river. And imagine being unaware
that your boat has a motor. As long as you fail to
use that motor you will be a captive of the river. You will be
a prisoner without any control over your destination. Yet, the
boat that we’re in does have a motor. We can use it to change
course. That motor is our power of choice. All we have to do is
choose to look for the good, for when we do so, that is all we
will find! © Chuck Gallozzi
For more articles and contact information,
Visit http://www.personal-development.com/chuck
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