This blog came from our Steam Engine Financial Coaching web site.
Spending time with negative people will decrease your personal effectiveness in life. If you’re wanting to venture out, try new things, learn and grow, and seek to make a difference, these negative people are not the people you should be spending your time with!
Watch Out for People Who:
Are pessimistic about the future. They always worry about what might go wrong in the future and probably go to great lenths to tell you about it.
Discourage you from trying new things, saying it can’t be done. They may be genuinely concerned that you’ll get hurt somehow. They may find your venturing out to be threatening because it reveals their unwillingness to take risks.
Focus on the problem instead of the solution. These people can seem gossipy, talking about other people’s problems or the can be more self-focused and always talking about their problems. They’re seldom interested in hearing, much less applying, potential solutions.
You know people like that, don’t you? We all do. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t still love them. However, I encourage you to notice how being with these people effects you, your energy and your outlook.
Here’s an exercise you may find useful.
Make a list of the 5-7 people you spend the most time with. Next to each person, draw a face to represent how you feel after spending time with that person:
smiley face = energized, encouraged and optimistic
flat line mouth face = same as you were before
frown-y face = drained, discouraged and pessimistic
Decrease the negative and increase the positive.
If you want to be more effective, spend more time with positive people and less time with negative people. That way, when you start something new, like using a budget or starting a business, you’ve got the support you need to help get it done.
* * * * * * * * * * *
“It’s snowing still,” said Eeyore gloomily.
“So it is.”
“And freezing.”
“Is it?”
“Yes,” said Eeyore. “However,” he said, brightening a little, “we haven’t had an earthquake lately.”
From www.winnie-pooh.org
