I’m taking a break from my monthly “Hey, You” for book bloggers & Authors to talk about negativity. Everyone has been negative a time or two in their life. So, why am I addressing this?
Well, I’d say it’s because I’m tired of constant negativity on social media. I’m trying to address this without being negative myself. That’s the danger of negativity. It seems to be catching.
Here are some of the things that I don’t understand. Why people follow a celebrity that they don’t like—so they can be negative on their posts.
I don’t understand why people create rant groups on Facebook. I don’t understand the need to create one group to discuss everything you hate in other groups.
I don’t understand snapping pictures of people who have offended you in some way so that you can post it online. I see this one a lot. Maybe a person parked wrong or in a handicapped spot or so on. So, people feel the need to shame these people.
Let me be frank with you. Your ranting online solves nothing. The people you are ranting about will never see it. Involving yourself online does nothing to resolve the issue. The only thing you’ve done is make yourself more cranky. And as I said, negativity is catching. Your rant then makes dozens, hundreds or thousands of others cranky.
I get it. We all need to rant sometimes. That’s perfectly fine. I’m talking more about this whole fad of online shaming and continual ranting.
Because let me tell you what I’ve learned. Being negative all the time starts to bleed over into every aspect of your life. Before social media, you may have had the drama of a small circle of friends. Now? You have the drama of countless people all at your fingertips. And if you’re not careful, it will consume you.
That person parking in a handicapped spot when they aren’t handicapped? They’ll get what is coming to them.
Why involve yourself online? It’s like all the anger and frustration you feel spills across your keyboard. Before you know it, you’ve uploaded a rant to Facebook and a meme or two. And then you sit back and wait for validation. Infecting everyone else with negativity.
I’m not even saying the negativity is unfounded. Many times there is just cause for negativity. That doesn’t mean that it is expressed in a healthy way that will change the world.
I’ve learned this lesson after much reflection and cutting negativity from my life. I’ve cut people off on social media that were not good for me. I unfollow people who continually rant. It’s not good for me. And it’s not good for you.
The next time you feel the urge to share something negative, ask yourself the following:
Is this going to create positive change?
How does posting this make me feel?
Am I posting this for validation or to create change?
Is the person I’m ranting about going to see this and change their behavior?
A rant can seem like a good idea and it feels good to have the validation of others. But, as age hammers me into the person I’m wanting to be, I’m finding that a little less negativity has made me happier.
I still see things that bother me. I’m human. But, I’m trying hard to think about the things that I express. I don’t want to let a negative experience eat away any precious moment of my life.
If you can take a negative experience and express it in a meaningful way that will change hearts? Do it! If you’re sharing a negative experience for validation, ask yourself why? Why do you need the validation?
If what you express feeds bitterness, let it go. It’s not helping you or anyone else.
I agree we all need to be less negative…I know I’m to negative sometimes