You are who you surround yourself with. I used to not understand how much this could impact my life until I started surrounding myself with the right people more often.
My husband and I arrived in Maui yesterday for an annual seminar that always reminds me how true this is. The people who get invited on this trip are such amazingly positive people who are hungry for life and you can feel it in their energy. That positivity builds momentum more and more as the week goes on and it's an amazing thing to witness.
Positive, optimistic, happy, motivated people will help YOU become that too. BUT... the opposite is also very true. Negativity can bring you down. When you learn to recognize this... you can have better control over how it effects your life.
So what can you do if you encounter someone in a negative state of mind? Lift others up to your level of positivity and happiness instead of meeting them down at their negative level. Help them see a different perspective. Be so happy and positive that other people are drawn to you and want to be that too. If this is not possible and it's apparent they want to stay and dwell in negativity, you might need to distance yourself from that individual. There's a lot to be said for "choose your friends wisely" because it can affect your life. It's up to you. Now I'm not saying that if someone is having a hard time, you need to distance yourself, because everyone has those moments. Normally positive people will always find a way back. It's those that thrive on negativity, drama and gossip that you have to watch out for. They will try to suck you in. Just remember this if nothing else... a negative mindset attracts more negative things in your life. A positive mindset attracts more positive things in your life.
I always get so excited to feel the positivity and encouragement from this group of people we get to surround ourselves with for this week. The positive energy is palpable. It's not about competition when you surround yourself with positive people. It's about learning from one another, encouraging one another, being truly happy for one another... and how to be a better individual.
This is one of the greatest things I've learned in my life... you are who you surround yourself with. Choose to surround yourself with the kind of person you want to be, and you can become that kind of person too.