The Company You KeepI try not to be too judgmental about the company I keep. After all, although I’m not a Biblical scholar, I do believe it says something in the Bible about: “Judge not, lest ye be judged!” and also something like: “Love one another as I have loved you!”, or something to that effect. Just imagine how much better company we would be in if we tried to practice that more. Obviously, in this crazy world we live in, this is good advice. Imagine how much better off we all would be if we tried to be more understanding and tolerant of one another. And also how much better company we would be for others. Then our fearless leaders, ruled by a lust for power and pathological greed, would have a far more difficult time swaying the masses to do their bidding. However, on a personal level, we do need to be aware of the company we keep. Most of us come across individuals from time to time that we know for a fact desperately need strangled! If you’re one of those people that can either laugh this off or let it roll off your back like water running off the back of the proverbial duck – good for you!
Some individuals, however, are far more sensitive to an atmosphere of negativity. If you happen to be one of these people, monitor your mood when you are in the company of negativity or around negative people. I’m sure that for most of us, this negative attitude has an uncanny knack to bring you down as well. It’s almost as if there is a virus going around that you can catch that they haven’t developed an injection for that will make you immune to its influence. You can literally pick up this bug and your mood will then suffer,too. All in accordance with the company you keep! This can be particularly insidious if you work in a negative environment. How many times have we heard of people that bring their work home with them? This also describes the attitude we often bring home, too! Many of us pick up a foul mood at work; maybe it’s just a given crisis at work or maybe it’s continually working in a toxic atmosphere – and I don’t mean hazardous waste! This is company you don't need! If you are one of those unfortunate enough to work in this type of atmosphere of toxic waste, you should give serious consideration to finding other employment. In these tough economic times, that may not be easy to do. However, you should keep in mind that this kind of atmosphere is not only detrimental to your happiness and productivity; it affects your health as well. Many of us work in such an environment. Most cope by surrendering to the situation. For many it means becoming just as discontent and unmotivated as our fellow employees. This then becomes another pitfall of a toxic work environment. We cheat ourselves by not giving our best or doing so only grudgingly. Always do your best – not only for your employer, but for yourself. Do not fall into the trap of mediocrity. To do so ensures you will remain trapped in unsatisfying circumstances. By remaining motivated you remain devoted to doing your best for yourself! This is the objective you want to keep in mind. If you remain devoted to you, it will enhance your ability to move up the ladder at work and also increase the likelihood that you will find employment in a more positive working environment. Remember – You owe it to yourself! Watch closely your fellow employees that have given up. You will see that their efforts are usually half-hearted at best. They have not only succumbed to a toxic environment, but have also given up on any attempts at trying to either improve the situation or finding greener pastures to till. Don’t let this happen to you! Give yourself your very best and never give up on improving your position in life. To do so, simple common sense will tell you, is to doom yourself to a life of misery. Our friends can become toxic as well. Have you ever noticed how some people just seem to enjoy being miserable? Obviously, I’m not referring to friends that fall on troubled times, as we all do occasionally. Good friends do help one another when crisis strikes and misfortune befalls us. Here I’m referring to those individuals that can find disaster in winning the lottery – just think of all those taxes you would have to pay! Some folks just cannot be cajoled, badgered, counseled, or even beaten out of a negative attitude about life and everything in it! If you have many friends like this, be aware of how this affects your mood, too. If you find, as many do, that this negativity has a wearing effect on your attitude, you may want to consider the company you keep. As stated earlier, this is not advice to abandon those that have fallen on hard times. It is, however, advisable to consider those that are temporarily challenged from those that believe life is merely an ongoing crisis and the best we can do is to be miserable until, mercifully, we die! Those poor souls can be just as detrimental to your happiness as they are to their own. If you find you have too many acquaintances of this caliber, you may want to consider finding more positive and upbeat individuals to socialize with. Negativity can be, and far too often is, contagious! Be mindful of this as it can have a more far-reaching influence on your life than most of us are aware of. Do what you can to surround yourself with positive, upbeat, helpful, and hopeful people. I think you will find this quite beneficial in maintaining your positive attitude, too. We all have bad days from time to time. However, we do need to be aware of the company we keep just as we need to monitor our thoughts and feelings. I’m not advocating denial. I am advocating striving for your very best. You owe it to yourself, first and foremost, to always do your best and strive to maintain a positive attitude. This will help you to not only deal with adversity, but also will help you be a much happier, healthier, and more productive person. Adversity enters everyone’s life from time to time. We are far more capable of dealing with these challenges if we do our best to maintain a positive attitude. This ensures we will have a sense of hope at overcoming the challenges in our lives. To do otherwise means we have admitted defeat. This ensures that we have given up and will remain prisoners of our circumstances. Embrace a positive attitude and overcome adversity! We need to be mindful of negativity, not only in ourselves, but in our work environment, in our social lives, and even in our homes. Be aware of the contagion of negativity and of its presence in the company you keep! For greater understanding of the company you keep, |