Self-assessment: Are You Knee-deep in Negativity?
How can you be sure you’re not unconsciously perpetuating negativity in your life?
Use the following quiz to gauge your personal level of negative energy.
- Do you complain? All the time or even just sometimes? Yes/No
- Do you often discuss what’s wrong in the world more than what’s right? This includes the terrible weather, horrible traffic, idiotic government, lousy economy, and stupid in-laws. Yes/No
- Do you criticize too much? Finding faults in every little thing or even just certain people? Yes/No
- Are you attracted to drama and disaster (for example, answer no if you can unglue yourself from the TV when there’s a news story of a disaster and can avoid getting involved in the lives of dysfunctional celebrities)? Yes/No
- Do you blame others or yourself—either all of the time or in certain situations? Yes/No
- Do you believe you have no control over the things that happen in your life? Yes/No
- Do you often feel like a victim? Yes/No
- Are you only grateful when things finally start going right for you instead of being grateful for what is? Yes/No
- Do you feel as though things are happening to you, as opposed to happening through you? Yes/No
What your answers mean
If you said yes to four or more of the above, you are heading down the wrong path. If you said yes to more than six of the above, you are probably a bit of a negative Nelly whose mind has been trapped in a long-term funk.
It is time to reset your thoughts, words, and mindset because frankly, it’s impossible to be the most brilliant version of yourself when you are negative all the time.
Negative emotions stop us from creating the life we want. The negativity of anger, resentment, hurt, judgment, disappointment, self-doubt, and guilt stop the flow of positive living dead in its tracks. I get it. We all have bad days. They are inevitable. And the more successful you are, the more that can go wrong.
The reality is that you have a choice to make—each minute of the day—as to how you react to any given situation, no matter how significant or insignificant it is. Taking responsibility for your own negativity can be the first step to becoming the brilliant you.
Excerpted from Brilliant Burnout, the new book by Nisha Jackson, Ph.D., a renowned lecturer, motivational speaker, radio host, and columnist.