Judgement, criticism, labeling, racism, condemnation...
Society, our family of origin, or media shows us in many ways that we are better than others. We see it demonstrated everywhere from family gatherings to TV commercials. I think it is tragic :(
This mindset of thinking we are superior in any way to others is tearing down people, communities, and countries. Think about your family, how many times has Aunt Judy talked down about her neighbor during a family gathering? What does that teach you as a younger person, who looks up to and respects their elders? Political ads...this senator says that senator is going to raise your taxes and doesn't deserve your vote. Reality TV...how many times does one character back stab another to get what they want?
Yes, there are have's and have not's but there is no arguing that one persons value is more than another. We are all born with specific strengths and gifts that God has predetermined will bring good into the world. He puts us on a mission to live out our lives using these strengths and gifts for the good of each other, so serve and love our fellow man.
So what does all this judgement, criticism, racism, labeling and condemnation of other humans do to us. It breeds negativity! It raises fear! It creates and increases divides between us that are tearing us apart.
How do we stop it??
Positivity!!
When I first got my head around this concept it was extremely challenging because negativity was deeply rooted in my personality. I beat myself up for being overweight, I beat myself up over making mistakes, I judged others for the color of their skin or their heritage.
It won't magically happen overnight and it takes mindfulness and repetition to break old habits but we can eliminate negativity from our way of life and be happier, more at peace, and kinder to our fellow man.
There are several ways to do this but I'll outline three major strategies that I used to transform myself into a positive person:
1) Awareness of your thoughts - catch yourself in the act, take note, and think about what you could have done or said differently.
2) Write down positive thoughts and experiences - every day for the last 2 years I've written down at least 3 things I'm grateful for or good things that happened to me the previous day. Commitment to this practice and repetition for even a few weeks will start a shift of your mindset.
3) Change your surroundings - if you are in relationships with negative people, step away from them, if your job or workplace is negative, don't put up with it either leave or take action to change it, bottom line, don't stay in a place or relationship that is primarily negative, it will bring you to it's level
Changing your mindset from negativity to positivity will take time, be gentile with yourself and ask for help from a trusted friend or family member to keep you accountable.
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