Who brings out the best in you? Overcoming negativity.

 

You KNOW what I am referring to.   There’s that ONE person (or maybe more) that just brings out the worst in you.  You know who they are.  And the very mention of their name or site of them gets you in a bunch or an overwhelming feeling of dread.  No?  It’s just me?  Try as I might, the outcome is always the same in my encounters with these people – disaster.  They might just be negative or argumentative, or even toxic.

I didn’t realize how much these types of relationships affected my life until I started questioning some of mine.  Looking back on photos and seeing in my face or eyes how miserable I looked and felt – not only emotionally, but also physically. 

Over time, you realize you just don’t bring out the best in each other.  Whether it’s a romantic relationship or a friendship, we need to lift each other up.  And if this is not the case, we may need to make the choice to move on (or AVOID these people) if change is not possible or out of our control.  We, after all, choose many of who we come into contact with.

On the other hand, there are those few shining stars in my life as well.  The people that simply emanate an aura of positivity towards me or just light up my life by walking into a room.   They just have the “cool factor” and I’m more open and upbeat, simply because I am around them.  These are the people that inspire me to dream, because they seem to believe in me in a way that is hard for me to do for myself.

I’m reminded of this each day by the picture below that I have on my computer desktop.  It’s important to continue this attitude, no matter if I’m drawing strength from surrounding myself with positive people or not.  I felt I was involved with something as equally exciting as Trick or Treating the day this photo was taken.  I love the light in our eyes, the glow from our faces and, of course, those two little cuties are the loves of my life, so how could one not be smiling?  But, behind the smile, it was real.  It was genuine. The focus and determination of doing something I love with people who are equally as driven and not bogged down by their fears, really shows and I had no idea.

Who/what inspires you?  How do you handle negativity in your life?