Friday, November 14, 2008

Why Erase Negativity?

I remember a friend had a bumper sticker that said: Life Sucks and Then You Die. It still makes me cringe to think of it.

Certainly I’ve spent more than my fair share of time grousing about any number of things. But I’m a realist. Being grumpy, pessimistic and cynical did not work for me.

My methods and observations weren’t exactly brain surgery. It was a simple experiment. I tried the pessimistic route and observed the results. Actually, it wasn’t an experiment, that’s just how I chose to live my life for about 35 years. Then I got hooked reading self help books. I always thought it was funny that I needed to ask a sales clerk where the self help section was located. Hey it’s self help, shouldn’t I be able to find it by myself? But I digress. I read the books and tried to live my life accordingly. My change in outlook did not happen over night. But little by little I did develop a more optimistic mindset and I’m a lot happier.

This would be the end of the story except I want to help other people discover what I learned – maybe with a few shortcuts along the way. So, my friend Jackie and I wrote a book. It’s called Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within. It isn’t out yet, but it will be soon. In the meantime, we want to offer a few tips and suggestions so we can do our part to help create a happier world. Of course we hope you’ll buy the book when it does come out. We’re nice people, but we still need to eat.

So here is our first message.

It is impossible to go through life without encountering difficulties. From our first cry to our last breath, the human experience involves a series of struggles. While encountering challenges is an inherent part of life, it is not so much the problems, but the attitude one takes while facing these difficulties that shapes how we view the world.

It would make sense that an energetic and optimistic approach to life would produce better results, but that is easier said than done. An infant who is lovingly welcomed into a kind and caring family is more likely to receive positive messages than a baby who is born into a home where the environment is critical and angry. While there may be exceptions, by and large, we are the sum of our experiences, and generally this is the determining factor of whether we develop a positive or negative mindset.

If it were simply a matter of flipping a switch to receive a positive or negative attitude, most of us would opt for former. Unfortunately, many of us grew up in a negative environment, or suffered physical or emotional trauma that tainted our outlook. Bit by bit, negativity became our way of coping with life. Many pessimistic individuals claim that while a negative outlook may provide fewer positive results, it also protects them from disappointment. Unfortunately, negativity is more like a cancer than a protective shield. It starts small, and may seem innocent enough at first, but if not kept in check the negative mindset can spread and wreck havoc in all aspects of our lives.

“I’m not negative,” you may say to yourself (or out loud). “I’m just being realistic.” Maybe so, but, if that “realistic” approach has resulted in some depressing results and evolved into a downright unhappy life, perhaps it’s time to consider a new, happier perspective.

That is what Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within is all about. It’s a simple guide to recognize and diffuse negative behavior and replace it with a positive approach. No one is born negative, it is an acquired habit. Whether you were raised in a negative household, or acquired a downbeat demeanor after a lifetime of disappointments, it was a habit you learned. Perhaps your realistic approach (the one your friends and family call negative) has been a shield against the worst of life. After all, if one prepares and expects the worst, it will reduce the painful effect that most assuredly will follow. Unfortunately, this approach comes with some depressing results – a disapproving mindset, negative results and an unhappy life.

On the contrary, much has been written about the power of optimism, the simplicity of law of attraction (like attracts like) and how positive thoughts, actions and deeds produce positive outcomes. It sounds good in theory. You may even believe it’s true. But putting it into practice is another story.

That is why Erase Negativity was written. Who better than a couple of former naysayers to provide a practical guide to help clean out the negativity in one’s life and adopt a more positive way of living? If negativity is learned, than erasing it and replacing it with a constructive and affirmative life pattern can be learned as well.

The approach to erasing negativity is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Like anything worth having in life, it is going to take work. However, if you read our suggestions, follow the exercises, vow to never give up on yourself and stay with the program long enough to see it really start to work, you will see positive change in your life. So, if you’re ready for a change, please continue checking out the blog, consider some of the books we suggest and find out how you can Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within.

And when our book comes out, please buy a copy or two or 300. And don’t forget to tell all your friends.

Peace and Love,

Sally and Jackie

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your subject is certainly apropos with all the doom and gloom being force fed to us on a daily basis in this time of uncertainty. For a good deal of my life, I read only fiction by well-know authors as a form of escapism. Once I began to write non-fiction books, I decided it was time to start reading a few. There are many fantastic self-help books on the market, but I really am eager to get a copy of yours, primarily because of the title. While I probably won't buy 300 (LOL), I will definitely buy one.

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to reading the book. It's easy to think and act in negative ways. I would like to turn that behavior around into something more productive.

Anonymous said...

LIFE IS GOOD! Look for the Good