Just Say "No, Thanks" to Negativity

Often, we dread our place of work. And too often, it has nothing to do with our work, but with the people we work around. These people display negative attitudes, and can bring the whole office or workplace down. They complain about anything and everything. They complain about others in the workplace. They complain about changes in the workplace. It seems nothing can make these people happy. And sadly, some of the people in the workplace 'buy into' their complaints.

It will never be pleasant to work around these people, but you can control your reactions to these people. If you can, avoid these people the best you can. Try to eat lunch separate from them. If you must deal with them, remember that negative people are just that: negative. What they have to say doesn't necessarily reflect what is really going on in the workplace, it's just their negative evaluation. If they try to bend your opinions to their negative opinions, it's best to avoid confrontation. You might say, "I have my own opinions, but I understand where you are coming from." You don't have to share your opinions, in fact, it's best that you don't. Maybe if your coworker sees you holding in your own opinions, that will be enough for them to get the hint that you don't want to share evaluations with them.

You should never try to change a coworkers negativity except to not share in their negativity. Anytime we try to change someone, it will be met with resistance. It is never our job to change others. To try to manipulate or change another person is violating their right to be. The best you can do is to avoid them and not participate in their negativity. Know yourself and be true to yourself.

Everyone has had friends that display negative attitudes and turn fun events into not so fun events. I still wonder why anybody invites these Negative Nancy's along. I have learned to choose my friend's wisely. I also always keep my focus on a positive mind. Anything a friend says to the negative, I respond with a positive. They quickly learn that I refuse to go down the negativity path. The nice things about friends that's different from the workplace, you can choose whether to be around them or not. If they are dragging you down, you may want to consider how much time you want to spend with that friend, and likely limit that time.

Friends should be our source of finding peace and happiness in the world. Pick your friends wisely. Surround yourself with positiveness.

Families are another area that we have to step carefully. Family strings are tight and emotionally connected. Like the workplace, we don't choose our family. But unlike the workplace, if you upset one person, you may upset several. I repeat from above, you cannot change people, and if you try, you will meet resistance, and even resentment. And the resentment may come from more than just the person you wanted to change.

If there is a certain family member or certain family members that really bring you down or cause an extraordinary amount of drama, you may consider limiting your time with them. At the very least, don't play into their drama.

Even in the best families, there may be times that family members may get so emotional and try to get others sucked into drama and to take sides. It's best to remain neutral and to keep in mind that it is just drama, nothing more. Ask yourself: if I don't speak up, will this affect my life? Is someone trying to change or manipulate another family member? If it doesn't concern you, don't let it have an affect on you. Often, family members are trying to change others. But you now know that is a futile waste of time and energy.

Sometimes we don't have a choice but to be around certain negative family members, but if you do have that choice, you may want to consider limiting your time with them. Also, be the example and keep your positive mind set, and don't allow yourself to play into the drama.