I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the type of attitude and general “vibe” I give off to those around me. I know that I often portray a more negative attitude, even though I don’t necessarily consider myself a negative person. I’m very happy, and yet I know that I have a tendency to get bogged down in little things that might make me seem otherwise. I think that sometimes the reason I come across negative is because I have this silly feeling that if something isn’t going exactly right with me that I need everyone around me to know about it, and perhaps feel sorry for me, or something along those lines.
I started thinking about these things because I was noticing a pattern on Facebook (as well as on blogs and Twitter) of individuals whose statuses or updates or comments are mostly negative or depressing or, on the flip side, mostly positive or uplifting. I started noticing that I would quickly click “next” in Google reader when coming across certain blogs because I knew the post would likely be a downer, or that I could already predict that someone’s status was going to be a complaint before I even read it. Conversely, I found myself looking forward to reading updates or notes from others because I knew their words would be encouraging in some way or another, whether that be a sweet compliment to someone, a comment of thanks to God for rain, or something great or funny their children said or did.
With all of that said, this post isn’t about the idea that I think that someone should only post happy or uplifting things. Life is life, and sometimes we’ll be down, and expressing those things to others whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, a blog, a text, or over a Sonic drink (I’d say coffee, but I don’t drink it!) is part of the human experience. However, I want to be careful about the attitude that I’m giving off to others. In addition to being careful about the attitude I’m giving off to others, I need to be careful about what is really in my heart. After all, outward expressions (whether written or verbal or otherwise), are likely a reflection of the heart. I don’t want to be the blogger or the poster that turns readers away with negativity; after all, I’m a Christian, and my joy should be never shaken because it is founded in Jesus Christ.
(On a total side note, this is the photo from my good to wow entry last week. I never got around to showing the edit, but there it is!)
