By Jason R. Doll
So often, we worry about catching the flu or viruses from other people. We take all sorts of precautions to prevent getting something ‘contagious’ from those around us. We are more worried about catching something that will affect us physically, when we should be just as worried about catching the virus of our attitude.
Your attitude can be contagious and infected by others. Research has shown that emotions and attitudes are contagious. Work is one of the areas researches say are the most negatively contagious and infectious. This does not only significantly affect your work environments, performance, teamwork and productivity, but even more importantly, it has a profound detrimental effect on your personal attitude, joy, life and spiritual relationship with God.
Negative attitudes can pollute an entire business, household or relationship, causing a toxic environment for all involved. In a work environment, one employee or co-worker with a negative attitude can become contagious and destroy not only the environment of the workplace, but it will also linger with you and become a toxin inside you. Complaining can become a cancer and spread not only throughout the environment you’re in, but it will disrupt your well-being, it will eat away at your attitude and you will become much more frustrated and unhappy. Suddenly, you will find yourself complaining more quickly, finding faults in others and your relationship with God will begin to suffer.
This type of environment, no matter where it is at, will disrupt your well-being, it will spread through you and you will find yourself more frustrated and disgruntle than normal. You will find yourself complaining more quickly, finding faults in others and you will be in a more frustrated mood.
The good news is that this doesn’t have to happen to you. You can be contagious in a positive way and infect others with a positive virus. Positive emotions are just as contagious as negative ones. Instead of allowing negative emotions affect you and your environment, you can alter the rotation of the environment by becoming emotionally contagious with a positive attitude. One positive individual can spread to a willing group of others a positive attitude, an attitude of joy or encouragement. One positive person can slowly but surely alter the attitude and outlook of the entire team.
In the book of, Matthew 5:13, it reads: You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” The Lord is telling us, that if you do not have flavor – or a positive attitude – you lose your ‘flavor’. In other words, what good are you doing for yourself, for others or for God? Instead, be determined to become flavor filled. Why do we add salt to our food, because it tastes good. In the same manner, when you have a positive attitude, others will want to be around you.
When you refuse to give in to the clutches of a negative attitude, you are strengthening your relationship with God, and you are honoring Him. God Almighty did not create you to be a negative person, miserable and feeling defeated. No! He created you to arise each day with joy, energy and a positive, hope-filled attitude. When you allow other people’s attitudes and moral affect you, when you get caught up in the ‘gossip’ of bitterness, you are dishonoring God. You are called to live each day to be a positive influence to others.
2 Corinthians 5:20 says: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” Therefore, as ambassador for Christ, it is our responsibility to be positively contagious so that, through our words and actions we can be a positive example of God’s love.
You must be determined you will not allow other people’s negative attitude or the cancer of the environment affect your attitude and your well-being. What you think matters. How you react to the environment around you makes a difference. You are not a creation of your environment; rather you create it every day through your attitude and actions. Be determined that you will display and become a positive, joyful and inspirational influence to others. Matthew 5:16 says: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” When everything is dark and gloomy, you are called to bring a light of hope out to shine for others.
Make the commitment that when others are contaminating the environment with their negative influence, you will please God by bringing an encouraging outlook to those around you. Do not allow yourself to be contaminated by their negative attitude – bring the antidote – a positive attitude.
Copyright © Jason Doll Ministries
