Negative Nit Wits

I read somewhere that we are 10x more likely to remember/hold on to a criticism than a compliment.

Why is it that we so often over look all of the good people we are surrounded by, only to dwell on those foolish few that seem to make our lives hell?

I have been guilty of this lately. Maybe its the cold weather or the perpetual lack of sunshine, but it's time that I kick this bad habit and I'm urging you to join me. The beauty of the situation is that for the most part we get to choose who we surround ourselves with. Did you hear me? We can fix this. With so many things in the world spiraling out of our control, we actually have a say in what company we keep. Well, maybe not in the workplace or while traveling on the public transit, but other than that this is a completely kickable habit.

I also read somewhere (what can I say, I'm a law student, reading is kind of our thing) that our attitude and well-being is directly related to the attitude and well-being of our circle of friends. Kind of like the whole 10-degrees of separation concept: when the people around you are happy, so are you and vice versa when you are happy it rubs off on your amigos. The tricky part comes when its time to let go of bad friends. It sounds like an oxymoron 'bad' 'friend'. Friends are supposed to be giving, supportive, and fun. They should be by your side for every achievement, but more importantly by your side for every failure. Friends are supposed to make us happy. So then why is it so hard to get rid of those 'friends' that no longer make us happy?

I have always been an uber loyal friend and when an old friend of mine decided to pop back into my life, I was excited about the chance to get caught up and start enjoying each others company gain. And in the beginning things were just as I'd hoped. Our friendship started up right where it had left off and it felt really good to have them back in my life. However, over time things got weird. My friend only seemed to call when they need something from me, never just to say hello and check in. They no longer wanted to hang out, but expected me to drop everything to chat every time they called. Then when we did talk by the time the call was over I somehow found myself feeling stupid and kind of pissed off. So there I was trying to reconnect with my friend, when in reality I was just being used. Looking back on the last couple of weeks, I immediately saw a pattern and that was, while hanging out with any of my other friends left me feeling joyful, this particular person had turned into a Bad Friend.

Bad friends are toxic, they exchange their poor attitude for your happiness and leave us with the short end of the stick. Its never fun losing a friend and its less fun to give one up. But this is one of many situation when its best to think about Yourself first. Do what makes you happy, be with who makes you happy, and stop wasting your time with people who are adverse to either of those two goals. Kick those bad friends to the curb. You don't need to be rude or harsh, but simply recognize that you should really be spending your valuable time with the people who you love: be it friends, family, or random strangers on the street.

The bottom line is actions speak louder than words, and true friends will always show you that.

To Do:

Repeat After Me: U arent obligated 2 hold on 2 any form of negativity, be it a thought, person or situation.--TDL