Are You Too Negative?
 
By Dr. Alan Zimmerman
 
A good portion of our society, many of our work places, and lots of our relationships tend to focus on the negative.
 
Have you noticed the news industry.  It would be more accurate to call it the "bad news business," or as one person said, CNN stands for "Constant Negative News."  In the world of broadcasting, a murder is always covered while acts of kindness are always almost ignored.
 
This negative emphasis is all too evident in our workforce -- young and old. I go into the hallways, lunchroom, or work area, and I see a whining-griping-complaining syndrome. The light has gone out in people's eyes.  People come to work with a sense of routine and obligation rather than passion.
 
I've spent a lot of time on university campuses, and I don't see a lot of enthusiastic students there. In fact, student health clinics report that help with clinical depression is one of the most frequent services they offer. In a national survey of 16 to 29 year olds, MTV reported that "angry" and "stressed out" were the best descriptions of that generation.
 
This has got to stop. Besides robbing you of your health and happiness, it's almost impossible to produce the highest quality goods or provide exceptional customer service in such an environment. It's even worse for your closest love relationships.
 
IF YOU'RE THE NEGATIVE ONE 

 

(NOTE: Tomorrow: If The Other Guy Is The Negative One.)
 
1. Start by taking a good, honest, and perhaps uncomfortable look at your actions.  
 
Are you making your work environment more positive or negative? No one is a neutral. You're doing something to make your organization either a richer place or a poorer place to work.
 
2. Look at your words.  
 
Can you go for 24 hours without saying anything negative? When I ask my audiences that question, a few raise their hands signifying "Yes," but the vast majority shout "No."  I respond by saying, "Those who can't answer 'Yes' have a serious problem. If you can't go 24 hours without drinking alcohol, you're addicted to alcohol. If you can't go 24 hours without smoking, you're addicted to nicotine. And if you can't go 24 hours without saying something unkind, you're addicted to negativity."
 
If your attitude is too negative, you DON'T have to stay that way. Too many people just make an excuse and say, "I can't help the way I feel." That's a huge myth. 
 
You can change your attitude once and for all ... you only have to learn what the right things are to do and then do them. That's why I wrote my latest book called "PIVOT: How One Turn In Attitude Can Lead To Success." 
 
3. Realize the price you're paying for being negative.  
 
In a study done at Duke University Medical Center, it was discovered that people with high levels of cynical, complaining behaviors were 50% more likely to have clogged arteries than those who were less negative. 
 
In another one of their studies, people with high cynicism scores had five times more heart disease than those who scored below the median.  
 
Quite simply, complainers do not live as long as positive people.
 
To become a more positive person at work, quit keeping track of the negatives. Did you ever notice that on a bad day, some people tend to count every irritation or inconvenience that occurs? They'll burst out with "This is the third time today something like this has happened." Yet seldom on a good day do these people say, "This is the third time today something great has happened."  Keeping track of the negative reinforces a negative personality.
 
Here are some simple benefits of talking about good things instead. You might discover more positive incidents occur than negative. You could find yourself actively looking for incidents to celebrate rather than complain about. And keeping yourself in a positive frame of mind means you get more enjoyment from your work and personal life. 

_____________________________________________________