Often what we think of negativity in others, we consider as “reality” in ourselves. Others may be negative but we are just being “realistic” — and believe it! We then consider not acting on our dreams as but just being “practical in life”.
On the other hand, we look at those who try to pursue their dreams as “not in touch with reality”, naive dreamers with fake smiles pasted on their faces.
However, does being “realistic” mean things go wrong and we just have to accept this the truth in life? If this is how we perceive “reality”, then we have unconsciously programmed our mind to be negative persons. Little wonder then that we attract people who vibrate with negative emotions. We go on our daily lives feeling miserable all the time and endlessly complaining about everything (“terrible weather, lousy economy, horrible traffic, etc”).
Even in our choice of entertainment that is supposed to cheer us up are filled with negativity (we enjoy watching news about crimes and disasters; we religiously follow up gossips on the lives of dysfunctional celebrities, etc).
In conversation, we focus our stories on how badly we are treated by others. We savour playing the victim’s role in our personal and professional relationships. In short, we blame others for what we are. We cannot understand why being “realistic” makes us feel miserable.
If this is the situation we are in, then negativity has been unconsciously ingrained into our psyche.
However, let us not lose heart. Not all is lost if we act and SOON to avoid negativity from completely ruining lives. Let us consider the following steps we can take to clear negativity in our lives:
1. Let us contemplate on the words of the Dalai Lama: “When you think everything is someone else’s fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy.”
2. Replace our negative thoughts with positive ones. Shifting our consciousness on “what is possible” instead of “what is not possible”, or “ what can go right” in place of “what can go wrong”. This may take constant practice and heart-felt dedication in our part but it is well-worth the effort we will exert because it will bring happiness, peace of mind, and contentment in our lives. While on the process of cleansing our minds of negativity, we must always take care we do not fall back into our old dismal ways. When we realize this happening, we should immediately change our tune.
3. Lastly, let us use LOVE to clear and bring more light into our lives. Change our mind-set; we should always imagine and emphasize the positive instead of getting absorbed by negative feelings; let us try to forget all past conditioning and think instinctively from our inner soul instead of from our old “reality”. Let us create a new happy reality in our thoughts and show it to the world around us.
4. When we have realized that the future is not inevitable but that we have full control of our own destiny, then we can begin to consciously design our life the way we want it—happy, successful, and peaceful!
It is never too late to erase negativity in our lives and turn it to something positive. Let us make the change NOW and enjoy the benefits it will do to ourselves and to the world around us!