Samhain Publishing

In spring, some dread the autumn.

Others are already in a winter frame of mind

So why is that? Why is negativity such an easy no-brainer slide, while being positive seems to take a major conscious effort? And if you don’t believe that, just consider how often you make a point to tell others about good service versus how many you tell about bad service.

I’ll bet the good news was spread to a handful while the bad news was disseminated to a cast of thousands.

Or how about this. Do you remember the time someone on an airplane got up and, with a smile, helped you lift your bag into the overhead bin? Or do you remember the gentleman who waited until you’d hefted your bag into the bin, then told you with a snarl to remove it because you had shifted his bag six inches forward, something he considered a totally unacceptable situation.

Or how about coming home from work, buoyed by kudos, to be criticized for something minor. Which event ultimately shapes how you feel at the end of that day?

It seems to be the way we’re made…with our negative focus more fully developed than our positive one, although we may not be aware of it. I know I wasn’t. Not really. Not until I came across a book about negativity a few years ago.

I had read books about the power of positive thinking, but they did little for me, except to make me feel guilty that I couldn’t seem to shake being a glass-half-empty kind of person.

For me, the turning point was being brought face to face with the power of my negative thinking. It made me aware that, indeed, I have let one negative comment outweigh a whole raft of positive ones, and that many of my most vivid memories are of people criticizing me…including the gentleman with the luggage bin issues. Some of these memories even go all the way back to childhood, a considerable distance given that I’ve been eligible for AARP status for over a decade.

Once my eyes were opened to how I was reacting to the events in my life, I began to learn through that awareness to shift my focus away from the negative and to celebrate more fully the positive.

In fact, if I had never read that book on negativity, and I was still allowing criticism to weigh on me as heavily as it used to, it’s likely I would never have become a published author. With my old mindset, I would have been unable to appreciate and act upon the constructive criticism that has been part of my journey as a writer.

But becoming aware of my tendency to negativity and learning to shift my focus didn’t just improve my writing.

It improved my life.

How about you?

Are you a glass half-empty or glass half-full type of person?

If negativity is currently your strong suit, do you have any plans to try to change that?

A former professor and toxicologist, Ann Warner, is the author of two contemporary love stories: Dreams for Stones, an Indie Next Generation Book Award Finalist and the sequel, Persistence of Dreams a 4-star Romantic Times pick. Visit Ann at http://www.annwarner.net