The Power of the Negative

What is it about Negativity and why does it get such a bad wrap?

I mean, it is seriously popular, is all around us and always there.

Most of us do it really, really well and we should because we practice it constantly. It’s easy and it makes us feel  - -  actually, what does it make us feel?

I visited a friend in hospital today.  She is a Lawyer, a Businessperson, a Mental Health Advocate, an Author, a Wife and above all else, a Mother.

Like most people, I hate going to a hospital, it is a negative experience which I mentioned to a few people as I explained my coming absence.

But why is it negative?

I have been in hospital and experienced major surgery. It wasn’t pleasant. But, it was certainly one of the most positive experiences of my life. I am fit, active, healthy and alive, and chances are I would be none of these things if not for my hospital experience.

She had major surgery on Monday and is doing ok. The outcome will be overtly positive in every area of her life.

She will return to her full life being her whole self and her children, partner and all in her sphere will be better for it.

How is this negative?

Hospital is positive in the overwhelming number of cases, but we are conditioned to think and speak otherwise.

Like so many things, we focus on the negative or difficulty of the “now” and not the positivity of the ultimate outcome.

In Business, we spend more time addressing what might go wrong than we do ensuring it goes right.

We act and speak “negative” so easily, because it is so easy. We are skilled at saying what should "not be", telling others what "not to do" and finding fault all around us. We are good at it because we are programmed to do so from a young age.

Consider the difference it would make if we swapped “don’t” for “do”, expressing our intended actions in terms of what we "will do" rather than what we will "stop doing"..

Likewise with our thoughts, swapping the positiveness of the outcome for the difficulty of the now, could, would change our whole life outlook.

And, the return on investment in all we do would be astounding.

 

Think of the benefits, in everything, everywhere, always.