Compound negativity
Have you noticed how many people want to either leave the county, leave a relationship, leave an investment or just leave life recently?
Negativity is not unfounded. With the political landscape, economic climate, and relationship issues that people have it’s understandable that life can be hard.
It is similar to compound interest with money. Swiping that credit card doesn’t hurt you. But after a few months of maxing out and living on money that’s not yours – it catches up to you.
Biologically we look for the things that will satisfy our needs right now. We want food with high calories that will allow us to store fat for when we need the energy again. It’s like that fast food burger. One doesn’t hurt you, but a few a week can compound into morbid obesity and severe health issues.
Our brains are like velcro for negativity and Teflon for positivity
Understandable, but not justifiable
We thus find ourselves in an overly saturated world with tonnes of negativity and terrible stories about crime, money disappearing from investments, governments not doing their job, etc etc.
It’s fully understandable to be negative. For example, during the crash of Wallstreet in 1929 (and the years into the big depression), people would’ve been discouraged, outraged and wanted to die.
In my eyes, it’s by no means justifiable that people spread their negativity to other people.
It’s not a surprise that many people made millions during this time – it was the people with cash flow and money available.
Think about it. The people who managed their money poorly had no disposable income and their businesses died.
The people who worked well with their money had extra cash to buy bargains. You can also imagine the bargain properties that people picked up in this time!
How perception influences our thoughts
I once listened to the acclaimed Dr Myles Munroe who lived in the Bahamas. He took a businessman (a chemical engineer) to a beautiful, white-sanded beach. Once there, the person noted that the sand contained a mineral that is very expensive and used in many premium beauty products.
“All the while I have been looking at the beach, and not noticed its potential!”, Munroe exclaimed.
When we talk about money, politics, government, relationships and coffee, we find that perception is everything. We view the world through lenses. We look through our lenses, and the whole world makes sense from our preconceived ideas.
How to change your thoughts
To illustrate this, let’s tell another story. Many years ago, a shrewd businessman had two dogs. Every week he would let them fight and people could bet on which one would win. This was both strange and very unpredictable. One week the white dog would win, and the next the black dog.
Eventually, the gamblers asked the man how this was possible. He explained: “It’s simple. The dog I feed is the one that will win”.
This is true in our lives as well. If we feed negativity, then this dog will reign supreme over all of our lives. If we starve the negativity and feed positive thoughts in our lives – positivity will reign.
What can I do to be more positive?
Don’t expose yourself to what you don’t want to become
If you want to be more positive, you need to look at the followig points:
- Accept the things you cannot change – do this by drinking more coffee.
- Remove yourself from negativity – news, politics, newsletters and/or television.
- Don’t read the news. You’re not missing anything except the negativity
- Surround yourself with good people – the return multiplies
- Unfriend/Mute/Block people that aren’t contributing to moving you forward.
- Drink coffee.
Conclusion
It’s not easy overcoming cynicism.
The newspapers and media sells what the people want to read – and people want to read negative things.
Be different from the people out there.
Don’t rationalise – rational lies.
Happy investing