How’s Doom and Gloom Working for You?
June 16, 2008 2:47 pm Complaining, Healthy living, Life choices, key to happiness
As I stepped out of my front door for my morning walk, another walker passed by and commented, “It’s really sticky out here today.”
I find it amazing that a stranger seems comfortable opening a conversation with a negative rather than with a positive comment like ”Isn’t this a beautiful day?”
Why this is true I’m not sure.
But I am sure that the doom and gloom over high gas prices, the downturn in the economic, foreclosures, etc. picks up volume around the water cooler, gas pump and wherever people gather. We jump into the negative fray commiserating over this or that as if to confirm that we’re part of this miserable club.
If this attention to all the negative brought about positive changes I would recommend it. On the contrary, wallowing in the doom and gloom has some dangerous outcomes.
- It distracts from many other important things that are going on in the world like world hunger, disease, mankind’s inhumanity to man. It’s a common magic technique to keep you busy looking in one direction while they set up the trick in the other.
- It blinds us to the positive possibilities. Even people who are blessed with wonderful opportunities around them miss seeing them when they are griping.
- It saps our energy so we are less able to think of creative solutions.
The negative energy spent talking up all that is wrong lowers our energy level thus making us less able to engage our brains in a positive way. - It fuels individual and group hopelessness. Even those of us were are normally hopeful can become infected and be brought down if we give this virus access to us.
- It promotes the wrong idea that we have no choices or control over our lives.
In any compeition, game or war the other side counts on this to help them win.
Instead of getting caught up in the woe-is-me trap, check out what Pamela Slim, in her blog Escape from Cubicle Nation , offers as some great ways that businesses can turn that energy to positive moves. In my comment on her blog I added information about what this means to us personally as well.
I learned about Pamela’s blog from Jonathan Field’s post, Every Minute Spent Complaining is a Minute Lost Solving
Chime in with your opinion on complaining.
Lance :
Date: June 17, 2008 @ 5:24 am
Great post!
I really like your five dangerous outcomes of negativity - they are so true. And yet, it can be easy to get caught up in this when we hear it more often than not. This is a good reminder that we (I) can still project positivity even in all the negativity that we (I) hear.
Thanks for the reminder on this!
coloryou :
Date: June 17, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
Lance,
We all need these reminders.
Thanks for stopping by to comment.
Selma :
Date: June 18, 2008 @ 3:23 am
I think that focussing on the negative becomes habitual for many people. I often get this reply when asking people how they are. ‘Oh, I’m not too bad.’ It’s the whole glass half empty or half full scenario. My son and I saw a lady at the shops today. She was in a motorised wheelchair and had a little white dog on her lap. She greeted everyone she came across with :’Lovely day, isn’t it?’ My son was struck by her grace and commented:’She’s in a wheelchair and she’s happier than us.’ Made us both think.
Anonymous :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 6:24 am
So you think the stranger should have said it’s a beautiful day, even though he felt otherwise? He said how he felt. A person shouldn’t stamp out their negative feelings/thoughts just to brighten a strangers day.
coloryou :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 9:10 am
@Selma
Your point reminds us that happiness and grace can be found in any of us regardless of condition.
@Anonymous
You make a good point. Being truthful about how you really feel is important too.