Managing a Negative Environment

We have all heard people say that it is important to surround yourself with the right people if you are looking at becoming successful.  This is absolutely true!  You must find people who are like minded, positive, and creative people who are either where you want to be or are going to where you want to be.  This would be a wonderful scenario if it were a perfect world.  The fact of the matter is that we have people in our lives that we cannot easily jettison because they may be siblings, a spouse, parent or even our boss.  The key is to learn how to navigate our path to success even with negative people in our lives.  Here are some tips on how to do this:

1.  Learn how to encourage yourself-   It is important to learn how to speak positively to yourself in spite of any negative influences.  You can to keep a daily journal where you can actually keep track of  your inner conversation.

2.  Stay focused on your vision-  By keeping your eye on the prize, your vision, this will help to keep you motivated.  Post your vision where you can see it constantly.

3.  Read, Read, Read-  By immersing yourself in books you will always find someone who can motivate you to achieve your dream. 

4.  Learn how to handle negative people-  The problem with negativity is that it is contagious.  It is important to know that people negative views are theirs and theirs alone unless you buy into it.  Listen but do not take ownership and do not try to change their view point.  Remember that negative people are people too and it is more to them than their negativity.

While it would be nice if we could distance ourselves from everyone that does not add to our lives in a positive way, in reality it is just not possible.  Negative people are people as well and are more than their negativity and in reality negativity is driving by some type of fear.  Love them anyways but remember that if you are going to reach for success you have to keep your eye on the prize.