Woe is me.
Recently I seem to be surrounded by a lot of Negative Nellies. Not in my real life, mind you, but more in my online and virtual life.
Ugh.
That’s my reaction.
Most of the negativity I have been reading has been on a favorite social media neighborhood site called Nextdoor.
Now don’t get me wrong. I love Nextdoor. Just last week I got rid of a no longer needed chair in a matter of 5 minutes from when I posted so I do use the app.
But what have I noticed lately? It seems to be where malcontents hang out.
The latest news in our area is the arrival of a Dollar General store. It is almost like the end of the world for some people here and while I will not belittle their concerns of “bright signage ruining our quaint area” I do question their passion about something that will also provide an alternative to some people who might need that alternative.
I found myself getting caught up in all of the posts. Every new comment added started to make me crazy because I obviously do not share the passion that these people share in opposition to the arrival of this particular store.
I stopped to think about what I am passionate about. Little Free Libraries. I might be trying to get those empty paper boxes that are just sitting at the site of said new Dollar General store behind a backhoe. Yes. That is my current passion and the people that are so vocal about this issue are not passionate about what I am passionate about so I guess it makes sense.
We all have things we care about. They don’t have to be the same.
Respect is the key.
So I choose to remain positive by:
- Not reading those posts that do not engage me.
- Ignoring mean and snarky comments.
- Refocusing my own attention to something that I am passionate about and a place where I can make a difference.
- Continually looking for the positive in something and NOT the negative.
- Enjoying the world around me and all of the positive things that I see.
While I respect everyone’s right to their opinions and their passions I find that sometimes that can turn into a negative for me. So instead I refocus. I look at my own world and what I am passionate about. I make baby steps to make a difference.
How do you refocus negativity in your life? Tell me all about it in the comments section. Our Comments for a Cause for The Lakeside Fund is winding down for the month and a new cause will be announced on July 3rd this month instead of the 1st in order to give me a bit more time. Plus you will be busy this weekend and not reading anyway, right?
