Nip It, Nip It In the Bud

One of my dad's favorite sayings for as long as I can remember is "nip it in the bud."  He would say it if he was telling me to put an end to a certain bad behavior or if there was a situation that didn't need to go on any longer.  I'm not sure if this is strictly a southern saying, but it was his way of saying something needed to stop.

Today I'm going to work to nip negativity in the bud.  For the most part, I'm a pretty positive person, but negative people can really get me down.  Being around negativity is poisoning and draining.  One negative word can breed an attitude of negativity and spread like wildfire.  If you work with or live with a negative person, it can take its toll.  It's been a struggle with me the past few weeks to know how to deal with these people.  I've tried killing them with kindness and that only seems to irritate them more!  I got up this morning and decided I'm not going to welcome that energy into my life.  I thanked God for everything He's given me and told Him that He doesn't deserve a negative spirit from me.  I'm not talking about living in a bubble and pretending everything is rosy.  I'm talking about not bringing others down and being appreciative for life.

My decision to deal with negativity is in one of two ways: 1) physically remove myself from the negativity-- get up and leave the area or 2) if I cannot physically remove myself, I'm going to breed positivity-- point out what the person has to be positive for and mention how loving God is.

God deserves my best work and my best attitude.  I will not let another person's attitude determine my attitude.  Life is too short to live in a negative space, and it's the opposite of glorifying my Savior.

So will you join me?  Will you step up the plate, be positive, and nip negativity in the bud?

My positive gift to you: a picture I took in Armenia looking into Turkey at Mount Ararat, as in the Mount Ararat where Noah's ark landed!  Click to enlarge and then right click to save.

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