How many times has a Negative Ned or Nellie attempted to ruin your day with their negative comments? For example… just today I sent a birthday card to someone I truly care about. We’ve had some rough patches in our relationship and I was hoping to “break the ice” with a sincere greeting. Rather than accepting my simple gift with the positive spirit it was given, this individual responded in a very negative way. Some people are like that. They often see and feel themselves and the world around them as a half empty glass rather than a half full one. Viewing life in such a dark way is a deeply-rooted habit. Often occurring automatically, they give little or no thought to the possibility that life may not be nearly as bleak as they make it out to be. It’s such a shame too. As a loved one pointed out, the chronic habit of interpreting things so negatively cuts so much joy out of life (not to mention ruin many relationships too).
So what do you do? For starters… read the article, “The Power to Choose Joy – A Bridge to The Messiah Seed” by Story Waters. The following is an excerpt:
“To see your Self as not being accountable for your state of being is to live within a belief in external forces that have control over you. This can be manifest in such forms as a controlling person, governmental laws, or a lack of abundance; basically symbols of perceived limitation. This births the ability to blame. To blame is an attempt to hold this externalized aspect of your power responsible for your state of being, instead of being fully responsible for your Self. Re-assimilating this externalized power is a part of the journey to being All That You Are. To take back that power is to come to the realization that all power over your being is yours alone. It is to realize, within your Self, the absolute power of choice over your being.
To experience your power of choice is to realize that you are the one that possesses the power to choose joy for your Self. When you realize joy as being a choice you will realize that all states, including suffering, must equally be a choice. Through this you will see that to take responsibility for your own suffering is to empower your Self to be able to choose joy. A part of the journey to joy is therefore to take ownership and responsibility for your own suffering. To do this release all sense of ‘blaming others’. Understand that this will be a gradually unfolding process.”
What’s next? Pay this article forward to the Negative Ned or Nellie in your life to instill positive change. After all… joy IS a choice.
Do you have any thoughts to share on how to handle a Negative Ned or Nellie in your life?
Remember … touch a life today “The Little Way” by following the lead and need of others. Also, if you ever thought to yourself, “I wish my customers, knew…”, then be sure to visit White Light Communications at http://www.tothewhitelight.com.
~ Theresa
Doing It "The Little Way" 
It is very true that joy, along with contentment, is a choice, but it not always an easy choice. As Theresa alluded to above, to not choose to be joyful can become so automatic that you might forget you even have a choice. Once you realize it is a choice, you have to stop yourself for a moment and make the choice to be joyful. But with practice, the choice to be joyful comes more easily. You begin to realize that it takes much less effort to be joyful and enjoy the abundance around you than to meditate on the darkness of it all. There are many of us who might remember our grandmother or other loving figure reminding us to “count our blessings.” I challenge everyone reading this to think about all the wonderful happenings that have occurred in your life, and the endless possibility of miracles to come. Life is not easy, but it is the hardships, pain and disappointment and challenges that help us, if we choose, to realize the wonderful situations and relationships that can and do exist in our lives. Overcoming the dark periods in life is what gives us character and strength as well as wisdom. Learning that your reaction to everything is a choice, whether deliberate or automatic, you can begin to make deliberate choices. You can choose to be joyful. You can choose to be: angry; upset; vindictive; unhappy; or miserable. Or you can choose to: forgive; let go; relax; gloss over; love; be happy; be joyful; and be a wonderful example to everyone around you. It really is up to you. As for me, I feel blessed by all that God has provided to me and the wonderful individuals that God has placed on my journey that is called life. I will never claim that it is easy to choose joy, but it is definitely something worth practicing. As for handling Negative Ned or Nellie, I suppose that I would choose to be patient and remind them that they are loved, cared about or otherwise respected. They may want to share their misery, but don’t let their misery infect your contentment — that would be your choice. Maybe they would even think about their choice if you won’t agree to join their misery. Then again, they might think you are being insensitive, so try not to appear uninterested. They just might be amazed and perplexed that you have chosen to meet their negativity in a patient and positive way.