Negativity vs. You

What do you do about negativity amoung friends, coworkers and aquaintences? Do you beat 'em? or join 'em? What are your own experiences with feeling negative? What are your experiences with handling negavite people?

I've been paying attention to negativity within myself and others for awhile and I'd like to offer some advice in handling negativity:

1) Counter balance
This is a good first impluse, but ususally not effective for the seriously negative person.

2) Reflect
At an opportune moment, simply let the person know that you've been noticing a strong negative tendancy in their speaking and behavior. This may serve as a wake up call and be all that needs to be done.

3) Disengage
Don't entertain irrational negativity. If you have already tried the first two suggestions, then let the negative person know you won't support them in their negativity. And change topics or completely stop interacting for the moment.

4) Walk away
If the realtionship with the person is taking such an emotional toll on you, chances are it's not working anyway. "Some people derive a warped sense of pleasure from being negative. It's a form of S&M. They can be masochists all they want, but they can only be sadists if you let them."

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You might be wondering why I've offered this information? I'm working on making a change in my own negativity and I usually learn best by talking about things openly. Writing about it here seemed like it would be helpful to others as well as myself. Feel free to reply.

Negativity vs. Me

Sometimes I'm negative and cynical.

When I am negative, really negative, it's overwhelming. Like physically being in a different place, like being in a department store you hate, saying no, no, no. And if given enough time to think, I'll put anything through a meat grinder; shredded, in ruin and discarded. However, I'm not intentionally turning the world into mincemeat, so why do I do it?

After much observation over the last five years, I've noticed that my attitude plays tricks on me. I'll find an endless spectrum of things to blame my discontent on - none are "my fault" and most of which are untrue. But upon closer inspection, the source of my discontent (i.e.: my negativity) is within me. The times that I am most negative are when I don't focus on myself; my own needs, goals and aspirations. I switch into autopilot and become "tuned out" and only partly engaged. Meanwhile, I criticize myself, until there is nothing positive left. Then eventually, like a ravenous beast from Hell, I criticize everything around me; never satisfied and never fulfilled. To make matters worse, as a bystander I allow others to make decisions for me, and then in bait-and-switch trick, eventually I feel resentment toward those close to me. It's a nasty and embarrassing cycle, and it's completely unfair to everyone. All because I don't focus on me.

So why don't I focus on my own goals? The answer to that is easy: it's the worst four-letter word in the book: fear. Fear is the the root of my negativity. What fear you ask? Fear of anything and everything. Fear of failing, fear of failing in public!, fear of ridicule, setback, discomfort, pain, work, loneliness, boredom, losing... even fear of winning.

(Ah, but I know... The truth is, we do what we do because we choose to do it. If I am in a rut and miserable, I must choose something else. Life offers unlimited experiences. For anything new I will experience fear and uncertainty, but to keep in mind that the rewards are worth it. A mentor once said, "Try. Fail. Try again. Fail better.")

So are all negative and cynical people just really scared people?
I'm working on making a change in my own negativity and I usually learn best by talking about things openly. Writing about it here seemed like it would be helpful to others as well as myself. Feel free to reply.

Maybe you have known someone who is occasionally or always negative. How do you handle negative people in your life?

Music Videos With Tingle

\\ Long before "Punked", "Cribs", and "Real World", when MTV was cutting it's teeth, I spent countless hours watching music videos. Ah... I'll never forget the solitary joy of taking in video after video.

If I could, I would watch videos anytime; before school, after school, after dinner, at a slumber party, after seeing a bad HBO movie, or just because their was nothing else to do. MTV was my introduction to addiction. But it didn't stop with just videos. Lest not forget the random clay-mation station identification, the gems of animation, or the music news with Kurt Loader. I was among the ranks of full-fledged MTV junkies.

Occasionally a hot new video would deliver something so creative and so original that it would freak my shit out for days. Twenty years later, some favorites have lost their luster, and some will forever be endeard. To name a few standouts :: "Take On Me", "Money for Nothing", "Hot For Teacher", "We're Not Gonna Take It", "Baby Got Back" (ahem), "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "All is Full of Love"... and who could forget the intensely anticipated hype around "Thriller"? (It's funny, similar to other major events like when Regan got shot or the Space Shuttle exploded, I remember exactly where I was for the World Premiere of the "Thriller" video. It was scheduled to come on at 7:00pm, therefore dinner was scheduled early and clean-up was rushed, I was in the basement family room, on the phone with friends, up until, and immediately after watching the video. Whew. It all seems unreal to me now.

The days of videos on MTV may be gone - or not. I've read that MTV is planning to turn MTV2 into a video channel again, but that remains to be seen. Who knows MTV's future(?) but the excitement over a good video will never change.

I've recently seen Beck's video for "EPRO" and got the scalp-static-tingle-of-excitement over it (mailnly over it's technical production) and wanted to share it with everyone. Watch the Beck's EPRO video here. Enjoy.//

Mr. Masker covers everything with paint

I love it when a person's name hints profetically at what they do for a living. Like a CFO named Goldfinger, Mr. Masker covers everything with paint.

Panama Photos

After decompressing from three weeks in Panama, I've finally posted our pictures on Ofoto. Enjoy! View Photos 173 photos