“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”—Aristotle
Feel the Energy
I’m a huge Tampa Bay Rays fan and last Tuesday was opening day. About 40,000 of my closest friends and I filed into Tropicana Field to watch the home opener. And I couldn’t help but feel the energy in the air.
It seemed to engulf you. It was almost as though if you stood in one place for just a moment and listened you could hear the hum of electricity in the air. You really could feel a rush of adrenaline and that something very special was happening.
Everyone seemed happy. The overwhelming majority of people were smiling, being very polite, and joking. And the Trop, as it’s affectionately known, was a hub for positive energy. There was nothing like it.
Then came this past Saturday when the Rays took on their division rivals the New York Yankees. Now the Yankees admittedly have a huge following no matter where they play. But because they train right here in Tampa Bay, it’s an even bigger following. And we seem to share our home field with just as many Yankees fans as Rays fans.
Once again I filed into the Trop with close to 40,000 others but this time the energy was vastly different. There was no feeling of positivity in the air. A cloud of negativity seemed to hang in its place.
Most people were not smiling, they were not joking, they were not being polite, and a lot of them were obviously not having a good time. So what changed? We were in the same place. Close to the same number of people. And all of us were there for the same reason, to watch a baseball game. How could it feel like two completely different experiences?
Because the energy each person was giving off was very different. We all had the idea that we were there to do battle, not play a game. Almost every last person that entered that stadium had a chip on their shoulder. And energy is contagious. We all give off either positive or negative energy and this energy is felt by others. We absorb it and tend to adapt our energy to it.
So just how do you remain positive when you’ve caught the negativity bug? One of the first things you should do is decide if you want to remain in the situation that’s causing you to feel negative. In this case I chose to stay. I wasn’t about to leave the game. I had to figure out how not to let the negativity energy influence me. As the game went on that became harder and harder because we didn’t play so well.
Here are 5 steps to help you steer clear of the nasty negativity bug and remain positive in any circumstance.
1. If you can remove yourself from the situation. But, if that’s not possible then take a deep breath and try to decide what’s causing you to feel negative. Once you’ve determined the problem, look for the positive side of it. As Newton’s third law states, “for every action there is an opposite but equal reaction.” All negativity situations have an opposite positive situation buried somewhere in it, look for it, it’s there.
2. Once you find some positivity develop an affirmation that you can repeat to yourself. For instance I used the affirmation, “I am connected to my Higher Source energy and I feel Source provides me with positivity in all situations.”
3. Now if you anticipate that the situation may not be positive before hand, be sure to state your intention for that situation. Simply say as far in advance of the situation as possible, “I allow myself to remain positive, no matter the situation. I will only come into contact with those who are harmonious in this intention.”
4. Try some visualization see yourself having fun and being positive. Unless you’re in a quiet place it’s not always easy to visualize. But give it a shot, if you can do it, it’s a big help.
5. Being negative doesn’t do anything for you or the situation. It only makes you feel bad and makes the situation worse. So say to yourself and mean it, “I cannot control the actions of others I can only control the way I react to them.” And then think before you act so that you can react in a positive manner.
