How to overcome negativity in your life

By Bruce Firestone | Business Coaching

Nov 09

Here’s a joke about negativity:

Why are mathematicians so positive?

Because the square root of -1 is an imaginary number.

OK, so it’s not very original or even very funny, but you get the message (I hope). Want to know why you are not as successful as your 11-year old self hoped for? Right, look in the mirror. There’s your answer.

The keys to being more positive include a) taking ownership of your life and b) controlling your reactions to negative things.

The difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person is not how they act; it’s how they react.

Here’s an example.

An unsuccessful person gets up in the morning, sees it’s snowing and says out loud, “Damn, I’m going to be late for work,” which he is. As a result, he gets fired. He goes home, starts drinking or smoking weed, plays video games for the next year whilst repeating to himself over and over again, My effing boss is an idiot. It’s not my fault.

The successful person watches the weather forecast the evening before, gets up a half hour early and makes it to work on time. However, he still gets fired because his boss tells him there’s not enough work to keep him on. He thanks the company anyway for the opportunity and the experience, but he does go home feeling a bit sorry for himself. A day or two later, he gets up, gets a little exercise and either looks for a new job or creates one for himself by starting his own biz, thinking, Heck, I learned a lot about this industry, I can do it for myself. And, damn it, I’m worth it.

The other thing I recommend is you do everything you can to get negative people—folks you don’t like and don’t trust— out of your life, both personal and professional. Negativity is contagious; the reverse is also true. You’ll never get anywhere if you surround yourself with a bad crowd.

Prof Bruce

FOR REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS COACHING THAT’LL HELP YOU PROVIDE FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY FOR 3-GENERATIONS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Bruce M Firestone, B Eng (civil), M Eng-Sci, PhD
Real Estate Investment and Business coach
ROYAL LePAGE Performance Realty broker
Ottawa Senators founder
1-613-762-8884
bruce.firestone@century21.ca
twitter.com/ProfBruce
profbruce.tumblr.com/archive
brucemfirestone.com

• MAKING IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE
• FREEDOM VIA REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT AND PB4L, PERSONAL BUSINESS FOR LIFE
• FEHAJ, FOR EVERY HOME A JOB
• MAKE YOUR HOME WORK FOR YOU, INSTEAD OF YOU WORKING FOR IT
• HIGHER ROI NOT JUST FOR OWNERS AND INVESTORS, BUT FOR TENANTS, GUESTS, VISITORS, NEIGHBORHOODS, COMMUNITIES, TOWNS, VILLAGES, CITIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT TOO

Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VFPt_charges_plus_minus_thumb.svg

Postscript: when bad things happen to clients of mine or to me, I give them 3-days:

-the 1st day, you can be mad

-the 2nd day, you can be sad

-the 3rd day, you get up, get some exercise and get on with the rest of your life.

When the Sens (the NHL’s Ottawa Senators) went bankrupt in the mid-2000s cratering my career at age 54, it took me two days. By the 2nd day, I’d enrolled for 8 courses and exams over the next two-and-a-bit years to become a real estate broker and, later on, a real estate investment and business coach. I worked every single freaking day for the next 13-years except Christmas day to climb out of that hole.

You can do it too brothers and sisters.

Spread The Word
Follow

About the Author

Bruce is an entrepreneur/real estate broker/developer/coach/urban guru/keynote speaker/Sens founder/novelist/columnist/peerless husband/dad.

>