One of our first stops on our There’s An Adult In My Soup blog tour is at Craig Price’s “The Power of Negative Blogging.” He has a knack for looking at the glass half empty.
But in a positive sort of way.
While many self-help gurus espouse the power of positive thinking, they actually sell their students short if they stop there. One of my big criticisms of the smash hit The Secret is that it doesn’t really paint a complete picture. Positive thinking and the law of attraction are great tools, but they can only get you so far. Real life is not all sunshine and rainbows, and expecting it to be that way just because we wish it were is naive and unproductive.
Craig’s take — which I think is as common sensical as it is provocative — is that negativity is a part of life. We can choose to become victims of it or use it as a tool. Here’s an example:
Why wear seatbelts? Positive thinking tells us that we’ll be fine if we just have a good attitude. Negative thinking allows us to look at the dangers of driving and to do something about it. Airbags, seatbelts and speed limits are all negative-based things that are good for us.
As much as I wish Adultitis wasn’t a real problem, it is. There’s no magic bullet or snappy affirmation that makes it disappear. It takes a concerted effort every day to maintain a childlike outlook on life. That’s why Kim and I write on this blog and speak to audiences and send out newsletters: because we all need a little help in the daily battle against Adultitis. If there was a special pill to solve the problem we’d make it easier on ourselves and just sell that.
Fortunately, although the daily nature of the fight makes it more challenging, it also makes it more fun.
Go check out what Craig has to say and read an exclusive excerpt from There’s An Adult In My Soup. Oh, and while you’re there, you can find out how to win a free copy for yourself or a friend. (But be warned: wishing that you’ll win it won’t be as effective as actually following the simple directions Craig outlines.)
Pick up your very own copy of “There’s An Adult In My Soup,” filled with short bursts of inspiration, witty and wise life balance advice, and over 50 fun illustrations.
I agree, there is negative in everyday life and even moreso in recent times. It is of course, what you choose to do with it that makes all the difference. For me, it is the ol’ “best of times/worst of times” scenerio, for there is something to be learned from each experience, good and bad. It is essential to gleen the good from each, no matter how small, for it is always in there somewhere. Those little guys can add up. Nice blog, thanks for sharing. Jon
Perspective is everything, isn’t it Jon? Thanks for the comment!