I admit, I have negative thoughts all the time.

After all, I am a Philadelphia sports fan!

Seriously, there is a reason I became a Dale Carnegie instructor. I wanted a way forward to keep negative thinking from ruining my life.

I’d love to tell you I know all the answers about this – or even one.

But I can share something that has made a difference for me.

Surround yourself with positive people.

Out in Arizona they have rattlesnakes and if you see one in their natural habitat you almost have to look twice because they blend in with their environment.

We are like that, too.

We become like the people in our lives.

If they are negative, we will become more negative even if it isn’t our nature.

But if they have an air of positivity about them, that will rub off on us.

I know what you’re thinking.

Jerry, how can I get rid of negativity. I’m married to it. Or it’s my brother or sister. Or I work with it 8 hours a day.

When you can’t avoid negativity, you must be doubly ready to not let it drag you down. And yes, sometimes there is divorce or siblings don’t spend a lot of time with each other because negativity gets old.

My best friend was like a breath of fresh air. He could lift me out of depression, make me more optimistic and build my confidence – all that because he was that kind of positive person.

No one can make us feel negative about ourselves or our lives unless we help them do it. We must be on guard to replace their negative talk with positive thinking.

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