Happy New Year, Journey Embracers. I hope this year brings Peace, Happiness, and Health into your Heart, Mind, and Soul. I know it’s easy to get caught up in the negativity of the world. Things make you mad or your curiosity gets the best of you. However, if a Peaceful world is our goal, conscious change is necessary. Here are 6 Negative Habits and How to Turn Them into Positive Practice. Remember, changing the world, starts with YOU.
The Mission: Catching yourself in negative habits and turning them into positive practices.
Being amidst the public for most of my life in various situations, as I’m sure most of you have, we see horrible acts of malice. Malice towards self and others impacts our psyche more than we realize. We need to recognize how our negative habits affect each other. If we continue on this path of demolition, a domino effect will prevail. Below are 6 Negative Habits and How to Turn Them into Positive Practice.
- Assuming Someone’s Perception or Knowledge
It’s easy to think that what you know, everyone else knows too. However, that is rarely the case. Everyone has their own background knowledge mixed with a belief system. The part of you that thinks everyone knows what you know or perceive is your Ego. Your Ego can be beneficial to you, but it can also be a disadvantage.
Be Aware that Someone May Not have all the Facts
Understand that people who surround you are not mind-readers. If what you are trying to explain isn’t quite landing, don’t get mad. Find a better way to convey your thoughts.
2. Looking Down on Someone
Congratulations! You are blessed with money, appearance, power, or anything else that makes you think you are better than someone else. Maybe you have the confidence of a God. I’m not knocking you for being at the top of your game and having Aladdin’s lamp. However, humble yourself. The airs you put on affect those around you. In the end, you’ll lose respect and end up lonely.
Realize that We are all One
No one is better than anyone else. We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. Every person you encounter bears the weight of their own struggles. On the contrary, each person deserves a trophy or a pat on the back for their successes and accomplishments. Let’s all celebrate together.
- Being a Jerk
What is the point of being a jerk or a bully? Really? Why go out of your way to intentionally be rude to someone? Does it make you feel better about yourself? If you’re one of these people, let’s talk about it. It just doesn’t make sense to me why people are like this. If you’re mad about something, pushing your anger onto someone else will only create negative energy and put that innocent person in defense mode. In many instances, this scenario reverts back to Number One on this list of 6 Negative Habits and How to Turn Them into Positive Practice.
Be Nice
Simple as that. Just be nice. And if you can’t be nice, either say nothing at all or say as little as possible. I get it, we all get in bad moods and frustrated. But as the saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.
4. Selfishness
I know it’s easy to be selfish without realizing it. We get wrapped up in our own little world and it’s hard to comprehend what’s going on around us. Selfishness is more than simply hoarding all your food rather than sharing it with the homeless. I’m talking about little common acts of selflessness.
Help and Care about Others
A simple “hello”, opening the door, and waving are all acts of selflessness. It’s acknowledging that the other person exists. It’s asking someone how their day went or how someone is feeling. To summarize, it’s taking some of your precious time and sharing it with others. In this texting age, it doesn’t take much to send a sentence out in the airwaves to make sure someone is OK. Sure, on a bigger scale, selflessness can be donating or volunteering at your favorite charities. Though, these small acts of kindness go a long way in someone’s world. Positivity can spread if our minds and hearts are open enough.
- Cruelty
Going along with Number Three, cruelty exists. There is a difference between being a jerk and being cruel. Being a jerk is just negative energy because you’re mad or you’re having a bad day. Cruelty is on a totally different level. I see it all the time just scrolling through the cesspool of Facebook, especially now with the world as divided as it is. People are downright calling each other names and defaming each other’s voices. It’s actually disgusting.
Show Compassion
Instead of writing out all Positive Practices 1-4 on this list, go ahead and reread them, since they pretty much sum up everything I would write here anyway. Or take a look at One Thing that will Solve All Problems.
6. Gossiping and Meddling
Ah, a negative habit I feel we ALL need to turn around. Gossip by definition (thanks, Webster) is a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts about others; rumor or report of an intimate nature; chatty talk. Those definitions by themselves are cringe-worthy and icky. There is a fine line between venting and gossiping, so heed the warning.
Meddling by definition (thanks again, Webster) is to interest oneself in what is not one’s concern: interfere without right or propriety. Why does one think it’s OK to poke their nose into someone else’s life? If it doesn’t concern you, why are you concerned?
Mind your Own Business
In conjunction with Being a Jerk, I just don’t get it. If the situation is not in direct correlation with your life, why waste your energy? Just mind your own business. People have enough problems, don’t add to them. I can’t expand on this even if I wanted to… it’s simple and common decency.
The Moral: These 6 Negative Habits and How to Turn Them into Positive Practice are a small start to turning this world into a more peaceful one. Stop spreading hate and negativity. This change starts with you. I’ll leave you with an oldie, but a goodie that pretty much sums it all up: Treat others as you want to be treated.
Enlighten, Encourage & Embrace your Journey Called Life.
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