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It is amazing what a few negative individuals can do to the climate and culture of an organization. When negativity permeates an organization, it spreads like wildfire, consuming every poor sapling in the way. But what can we do about the negativity?
What do you do when you are around someone and they begin to slowly drain you with their negativity? Whether it is their tone with a colleague, their disengagement from a meeting, or their curt, cutting contributions - negative people are horrible to be around.
We of course need to understand how these individuals got to be this way so that we prevent others from getting there. I truly believe these individuals do not intend to harm and have just lost their way. We can help some of them find their path and joy once again, but others need to arrive there themselves.
True positive thinking involves developing a growth mindset, maintaining resilience, and adopting strategies that keep us from being our own worst enemy.
So, what do we do when we find ourselves adopting a negative lens? How do we manage and cope with the negativity? What can we do so that we don’t get sucked up into the tornado of doom?
In this week’s post, I’ll review some different perspectives on positivity and the role it plays in our well-being. Then, I’ll provide 5 tips that I have found helpful in keeping my positivity chugging along and the negativity at bay.
The Power of Positive Thinking: What Does the Research Say?
Adopting a positive outlook will do so much for you. It will make your relationships better, help your personal well-being, improve your chances of getting that next promotion and much more. Where does positivity all start?
With our own outlooks and perspectives.
To just say, smile and everything will be good is not the type of positivity I'm promulgating. I know individuals who smile all the time but are energy drains. I’m sure they think that if they smile they are being positive, but that’s not the kind of positivity I’m referring to.
True positive thinking involves developing a growth mindset, maintaining resilience, and adopting strategies that keep us from being our own worst enemy.
Positive thinking isn’t just touchy-feely talk and the, “Yes we can do it!” That can help, but it’s a bit deeper than that. It is about truly believing, hoping, and dreaming forward with optimism.
Jon Gordon, a motivational speaker and author, said it best: “You cannot control the events in your life, but you can control how you respond to them.” Will you air on the side of optimism and good intentions or see the worst? The way you choose to think about challenges matters. Positive thinking is more than just a mindset—it’s a way to lead, teach, and live more meaningfully.
In fact, research has shown that positive thinking impacts your mental and physical health. Steptoe, O'Donnell, Marmot, and Wardle (2008) found that positive emotional well-being is associated with lower cortisol levels, which in turn reduces stress and boosts immune function. And who doesn't want a better immune system in the days of COVID?
Additionally, research by Fredrickson and Joiner (2002) demonstrated that cultivating positive emotions helps individuals build psychological resilience, allowing them to better cope with stress and challenges. This is particularly beneficial for educators facing the daily demands of teaching.
Jon Gordon, puts it beautifully: "Positive energy is contagious. The more you focus on the good things happening around you, the more good you’ll see." His work consistently emphasizes that positive thinking can not only improve your life but also influence those around you. Imagine skipping rocks in still water. Your energy will ripple around you as you go through life, so make that energy positive.
Gordon’s philosophy aligns with research that shows optimism can reduce the risk of stress-related illnesses and even lengthen your lifespan (Tindle et al., 2009). For teachers, fostering positive thinking in themselves and their students can create a welcoming classroom environment where both learning and emotional well-being flourish.
Whatsmore is that when we exude positivity we will wind up impacting those around us. You can either bring joy or doom and gloom. The choice is yours.
Positive thinking isn’t just about seeing the silver lining and having a sunny disposition; it’s about mindset. Carol Dweck’s (2006) research into growth mindset highlights that when we believe we can improve, we do. Dweck’s theory shows how adopting a positive, growth-oriented mindset helps people navigate challenges more effectively. You actually believe and know you can triumph over adversity.
In an educational setting, this mindset helps teachers push through difficult days, make the most of professional development, and see setbacks as learning opportunities rather than career-enders.
Positive thinking empowers us to reframe challenges. Instead of seeing obstacles as roadblocks, they become opportunities for growth. Rather than throwing our hands up in frustration, we seek to find solutions and move forward. We do not become powerless individuals but powerful change agents when we lean into positivity.
While we know that negativity is contagious but so is positivity! And there are no vaccines to protect you from positivity. 💉 😁
Jon Gordon states, "Leadership is a transfer of purpose and energy." If you walk into your classroom with a mindset that focuses on possibility, your students will feel that energy. If a principal walks into their next meeting with joy and optimism, others will feel that energy, too.
When you model resilience and optimism, the people around you will learn those behaviors too. This is why fostering positive thinking isn't just self-care for you as an educator—it’s setting the tone for the learning environment. You impact the climate and culture of your organization, so make that impact one that you want others to remember.
5 Tips to Maintain a Positive Attitude
1. Surround yourself with positivity
One of my mentors taught me this saying when I was getting my admin certificate and it has stuck with me. It is something I share with students, staff, and my own children. You are what and who you surround yourself with.
This past week, I was listening to yet another episode of George Couros’s podcast, The Innovator’s Mindset. In this episode, he provides three ideas to have a better school year. The second one resonated with me. He explained that you must surround yourself with positivity.
It isn’t just the individuals you surround yourself with but what you listen to, watch, and read. If you’re scrolling through social media or listening to the news pundits that is a sure way to become negative. These outlets will wind up demoralizing you and impacting your outlook.
Couros explains he looks for things that make him better, and that’s what we all should do. Whatsmore is that when we exude positivity we will wind up impacting those around us. You can either bring joy or doom and gloom. The choice is yours.
2. Stay committed to your core values
You must stay committed to who you are. The moment you try to pretend you are someone else or shapeshift based on who you're around or who you're speaking to is the moment you lose your way. And when we lose our way, things can become dark and seem hopeless.
But just because you may stray does not mean all is lost. Every day, hour, minute, and second is a new one when you can choose who you want to be or become.
Whatever your core values are, you need to keep them at the forefront. Every interaction you have and everything you do should align with those values. Committing yourself to these values and embodying them will make you feel better and help you maintain a positive outlook.
3. Practice gratitude
Nothing says positivity like gratitude. When we practice gratitude and show true appreciation for who is in our life or what we have, we can build our positive mindsets. Some individuals have a gratitude journal or jot down three or five things every day that they are thankful for. Committing to this type of routine can help you feed your “positive dog” and ward off the negativity.
Even on our darkest days, we can find a glimmer of hope to help us triumph over the negative and reach totality.
4. Avoid gossip
I’m going to go biblical with this. In Proverbs 18:8 it states, “The words of a talebearer [a gossiper] are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.” You don’t need to be religious to know that a gossiping tongue is horrible for you and the ones around you.
When you perpetuate gossip, the message shifts and shifts, straying from what was originally intended. If you are going to begin a sentence with, “I heard…” or “So and so told me….” Stop yourself right there. Is what you are saying actually going to help or hurt someone?
If you’re gossiping about how wonderful someone is, then go for it. But if you are spewing venom, then I kindly ask you to stop yourself because you are an energy vampire.
5. Find joy in the minutae
Finally, if you really want to fight negativity and build your positive mindset, then find joy in the minutiae. So often, as I watch my three children outside playing on our playset, I stop and try to permanently capture the moment in my head. Their giggles, their smiles, their tiny limbs moving back and forth on the swings. These are the moments I live for and hope I never forget.
During the school day, it is going into a classroom and seeing the kids explore and question. Seeing them connect with each other and find joy, purpose, and fulfillment in the classroom.
It is also talking to staff about their day, weekend, and loved ones. Making connections and finding humor in the day-to-day.
Finding joy in the minutiae requires that we slow down and really think about all of the small acts throughout the day. It is these small moments that can re-energize us and provide us an opportunity to grow our positive mindset.
One Last Thought
With the toxicity of social media and the negative news that spouts from our televisions and podcasts, succumbing to negativity can be easy. While we can not ignore what is occurring in our world, we must work to find a balance that allows us to be informed while maintaining our own mental health and personal well-being.
My challenge to you is to try one of these five strategies for a week and see the impact. I can guarantee that you will see shifts, however small, toward the light. Toward the hope and optimism that must drive us to improve, grow, and be joyful.
References
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
Fredrickson, B. L., & Joiner, T. (2002). Positive emotions trigger upward spirals toward emotional well-being. Psychological Science, 13(2), 172-175.
Gordon, J. (2007). The energy bus: 10 rules to fuel your life, work, and team with positive energy. Wiley.
Steptoe, A., O'Donnell, K., Marmot, M., & Wardle, J. (2008). Positive affect, psychological well-being, and good sleep. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 64(4), 409-415.
Tindle, H. A., Chang, Y. F., Kuller, L. H., Manson, J. E., Robinson, J. G., Rosal, M. C., ... & Matthews, K. A. (2009). Optimism, cynical hostility, and incident coronary heart disease and mortality in the Women’s Health Initiative. Circulation, 120(8), 656-662.
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