Day 2: Negativity is contagious. Smile and run from it.

The title above is a quote I borrowed (with permission) from my friend Susan’s Facebook post. I thought it summed up my mission rather well. Negativity IS contagious. I think back to all of the times that I have had a negative attitude and I wonder if anyone "caught" it from me. I would like to hope not but it is more than possible that someone at some point has been affected by my negativity, or more simply state, my bad mood. We have all been affected by negativity. Remember that time you were out shopping and the sales clerk was rude or curt with you and you left annoyed and in a bad mood? Much of the time we don't even stop to think how we react. We merely leave and head to our next destination, with our bad mood in tow, and affect the next person in our path. Perhaps we are less patient than we would normally be and we honk at the person ahead of us who is driving slower than we would like, or we are rude to the next person we encounter, or maybe we act badly toward a loved one, and thus, the cycle continues.

BE THE BIGGER PERSON.

How many times have we all heard that advice? Sometimes I get so tired of having to be the bigger person. Why can't THEY be the bigger person? But imagine for a moment how all of our lives would be transformed if we actually became the bigger person and stayed the bigger person. Sometimes we are caught off guard and we react to a person's negativity before we even have a second to stop and consider how we should react. I challenge all of you to be the bigger person and next time someone acts negatively toward you merely smile and run! I don't mean literally run, of course, but take the opportunity to consider that the rude, negative person in front of you is having a terrible day, or just received awful news, and treat them with kindness instead of reacting to their negativity. I'd be willing to bet that it stops the cycle. Quite possibly the next person they encounter will benefit from the results of you being the bigger person.

Cycle broken. Everybody happy.

My mom used to say that when our friends act their worst is when they need us the most. I really believe this is true and it can be extended to people in general. If we all start taking the time to care a little more about our neighbor, the world will become a happier more positive place.