Can You Afford the Luxury of a Negative Attitude?
Negative attitudes are easy to pick up and are free for the taking, but Robert and I decided they are a luxury we can’t afford.
I’m talking about the slump you get in when you messed up a job, said the wrong thing, or didn’t think you performed as well as you could—or should.
Maybe the problem was that you didn’t get your way, weren’t appreciated for what you did, or were left out of the conversation.
Or maybe you have too many demands on your life and don’t know how you can do everything.
Or the job fell through or the government shut down, and the dollars won’t stretch.
Or the doctor’s report isn’t good. . . .
There are many reasons—and excuses—for becoming negative, but they usually boil down to things not going our way. We express disappointment, disapproval, or discouragement through adopting a negative outlook on life.
Negative attitudes are easy to pick up and free for the taking, but they rob us.
They are expensive.
Consider what it costs to own a negative attitude.
- Negative attitudes drain joy. It’s impossible to be joyful and negative at the same time.
- Negative attitudes steal motivation. When you’re negative, you don’t feel like doing anything—either to fix the situation or find an alternative solution. In contrast, when you’re positive and optimistic, you’re eager to be productive and make things happen.
- Negative attitudes rob energy. Everything takes more energy when you’re feeling negative. You’re exhausted at the end of the day—even if you didn’t do much.
- Negative attitudes cut production. They make it harder to get started on what needs to be done, they decrease the energy you put into the job, and they rob creativity. Consequently, you produce less.
- Negative attitudes lead to low self-esteem. They leave you unfilled and dissatisfied with yourself because of all the reasons listed above. When you feel negative, you don’t even like yourself.
- Negative attitudes limit friendships. Think about it. Do you want to hang around somebody that’s negative and complaining? . . . Neither do they. Negativity rubs off, and they don’t want it.
- Negative attitudes drain faith. How can you trust God to guide and provide while focused on the negative? We sometimes adopt a negative attitude because our faith is low, but as long as we remain negative, our trust in God will remain low or diminish. He is our hope and salvation. No matter what the problem is, we can rejoice in Him.
I’m sure there is more, but this limited list is enough for me to conclude I can’t afford the luxury of negative attitudes.
How to move from a negative attitude to a positive one:
- Choose to be positive. Decide that you aren’t going to be negative. If you have a hard time mustering a real change of heart, pretend. Follow through on your choice.
- Smile. Many studies have shown that when you’re feeling down, if you’ll force yourself to smile, a positive attitude follows. If you get a pleasant response when you smile at others, it multiplies the effect.
- Give thanks. Think of how many blessings you have to be grateful for. For an even bigger boost, find something about the negative situation to be grateful for. Then express words of thanks—to those around you and/or to the Lord.
- Encourage someone else. Speaking words of encouragement to others will encourage you too. Receiving a positive response will add even more positive weight.
- Find someone to bless. Negative attitudes generally arise out of a self-focus because things aren’t going like I want them to. As you change your focus to blessing someone else, it will move you out of the I-focus that trapped you in the first place.
A negative attitude may sneak up and attack you, but it’s your choice whether or not you hang on to it. Can you afford to keep it?
It may seem harmless, but it really is a luxury.
What type of things cause you to have a negative attitude?
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