Just rambling
I have observed that there are two ways of living life, one is positive and the other is negative.
Positive people are resilient and bounce back whereas the negative people never win.
To be positive one has to have a few essential characteristics, one is to have hope, the other is to not expect too much from life and be pleased when things go well.
Negative people seem to have no hope, and even if things go well they tend to think that it is no more than they deserve and don’t appreciate their good fortune.
I’m aware that it is easy to say be hopeful but it seems that some are and some aren’t, for example, in situations of great stress such as concentration camps or sickness and the like, even though there may be many that are in similar conditions, some will be hopeful and look forward relief and others will give up almost immediately and go into depression. If relief comes, the positive ones will be grateful and the negative ones will think that it is as it should be.
I wonder if it is the case that positive people enjoy life more whereas negative people believe that they are entitled to things regardless of effort. Negative people also seem to be often picked on and bullied.
I also wonder if these characteristics are genetic or acquired through environmental events?
June 3rd, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Grandad,
I read an article somewhere which was very similar to your line of thought. I think it was modeled around success though. That is, successful people are more likely to be positive than negative. The article was saying that these people weren’t positive because they were successful, they were successful because they were positive! Basically those “attributes” you mention (resillience, coping with pressure, optimistic etc) make them more likely to succeed in whatever they do.
It probably all boils down to people skills, it’s who you know not what you know. People who are positive are good to hang around. People who are not don’t attract the same crowd.
I totally agree with your sentiment though. No idea whether they’re genetic or environmental? Would you pin me as a positive or negative person? Is my mum & dad positive or negative? I’d put you down as a positive person, despite the negative spin you put on most of your postings.
June 16th, 2007 at 2:23 am
simon, I have considered your question and have come to the conclusion that it is something that only you can answer.
Being a positive or negative person is something that only you could ever know because there are so many different aspects to be considered.
I would hazard a guess that you were positive because you don’t give up, you are generally happy and confident and seem to look forward to the future with great anticipation. Similarly, your parents have a proven record of success, sometimes against adversity.
It is hard for me to identify a negative person because I naturally shy away from them.
I remember when I was working and had some 40 or 50 people answering to me, you always then would know who was negative or positive and I reacted accordingly. Sometimes it was hard to make a determination in favour of a negative person because they always had that tendency to put one off side.
A word of advice, never ask for a judgement of your own characteristics
unless you are ready to accept a true determination. Sometimes, if their determination isn’t as you expected, it could make you resentful of the person giving that determination even though they may be acting absolutely honestly and in good faith, i.e. you could end up judging them, unfavourably, for doing what you asked them to do.
June 26th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
Grandad,
Thats a good spot of advice (don’t ask for judgment).
You’ve been silent a while. Whats going on? Gone off the scene? Or is it too cold to compute up there too?