Why Negativity Demands a Stronger Gratitude Practice
A few weeks back I was speaking with the senior leadership team of a large national police force. During one of the exercises someone asks, "In our work, we are constantly barraged with negative situations. What advice do you have so that we can be grateful ?" He goes on, "Our work is tough. We never know what’s going to happen but we can be pretty sure that on any given day, we’re going to run into a lot of negativity."
"Excellent question !"
He's right, for those involved in law enforcement it is challenging to be positive because of the unrelenting negativity in the daily routine.
An analogy comes to me, so I begin to answer his question, "You know the importance of diet and exercise to maintain good health ?"
Nods throughout the room.
"Now imagine, if you have a family history of heart disease. How important is your diet and exercise routine ?"
The response, "It’s even more important !"
"Great ! Now work with me on this please."
"If it’s important for someone who is predisposed to heart disease to be more vigilant about living a healthy lifestyle, would you agree that it’s important for someone who is predisposed to experiencing constant negativity in their day to be more vigilant about being grateful ?"
"Makes total sense !", he replies.
Negativity is not just in law enforcement. I’ve seen it in my previous work with Corrections Officers, Border Security Officers, Funeral Directors, First Responders, Customer Service Agents, CEOs and others. While their circumstances are different, many of their days are riddled with negativity.
So for you, if you are in an environment where there is relentless negativity, the message is simple—you need to be more dedicated about your gratitude practice.
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