Who invited Negative Nancy?

I was catching up with my friend recently and she excitedly announced she was pregnant with her second little cherub. After the squeals of excitement had settled down, Negative Nancy started to ooze out of all of us, one little word at a time. 

"Imagine how stressful it is going to be running around after a toddler and newborn!"

"If you thought one was hard work, just imagine how tired you are going to be with two!"

Within moments the happy news had been drenched with negativity, the glowing smile soon turning into a furrowed brow. 

The following day a family friend announced a work bonus, a tribute to the hard work and long hours he had been put in at the office. We celebrated, joked about the dinner being on him and congratulated him on his successes. Only minutes later, Negative Nancy crept out of the closet to take over the new found glory.

"Most of that bonus will end up with the tax man"

"You will have to work extra hard now to keep it up, no slacking off from here!"

He had walked into the room feeling on top of the world; a man who had finally earned a little bit of recognition within his workplace. In minutes his shiny attitude had disappeared, a knot forming in his stomach as he started to question the integrity of the bonus. 

When did we all start becoming so negative? It feels of late that every bit of good news is shroud with disappointment or a negative response. Even small things such as buying an ice cream or buying an item of clothing usually resolves in "I am going to put on weight" or "I waste too much money". Good news that once was celebrated is now labelled with warnings or disappointments. How many times have you immediately thought of the negatives and voiced your opinion without considering how you might make others feel? 

I'm also guilty of inviting Negative Nancy to my dinner parties. But it is time to start making a change. So many of us are unhappy with our lives when in fact- we actually live in a pretty beautiful world. Imagine if we all celebrated the little things, and reminded each other just how wonderful life can be. Next time you feel like Negative Nancy is coming to play, turn her off and invite Positive Polly instead. Let's spread the positivity and happy vibes. Peace.