I’m a sensitive soul.  I tend to absorb the energy to which I expose myself.  I’ve found that one way to protect myself and my outlook is to NOT be part of negativity.   Have I mastered this?  Of course not.  But I am definitely making progress.

In my offline life, I’ve taken some steps to reduce the negative energy in my life.  I try to no longer participate in gossip sessions.  I have been avoiding people who tend to whine and complain with no talk of solutions.  I try to be uplifting and supportive.  I practice mentally listing 5 things that I *LIKE* about people who annoy the heck out of me.  I’ve been trying very hard to “live and let live” while doing my own thing.  I try to take the high road when somebody wrongs me.  I limit my exposure to televised news, gossip rags and militant cause-promoters.  I try to entertain an opposing point of view with respect, even if I may disagree.

Online, my socializations revolve around email, instant messengers, my blog, Twitter and Facebook.  On Twitter in particular, I follow over 2,000 people.  It’s become quite unmanageable to catch all the posts in my feed, and I often miss lots of valuable stuff.  To pare this down to a manageable number, I’ve been looking at those I follow and asking myself, “Do these tweets provide me value?  Do they enrich my knowledge, my spirit or my life?”  If the answer to those questions is “NO”, then I’m un-following.  It’s not a personal attack, and I certainly encourage people to be themselves, but my time is valuable as is my psychic energy.  I choose not to be a part of the negative.  It damages me and does not help me to become who I wish to become.  Occasionally, I might point out the negative tone of one’s tweets.  If I get a verbally abusive or snide response, well there you go – bozo bit flipped.  No problem.  I will un-follow AND block.  I do this again, for MY own well being.  These individuals are more than welcome to block me back, although that seems kind of silly (and in some cases oxymoronic) because it’s unlikely I’ll be interacting with them from that point forward.  It’s ok though.  I understand.  The block is against the negativity, not the person.  Again – differing viewpoints are fine – abusive comments towards me or others is negativity, and I can’t afford to have that in my life.

Posting nasty comments on my blog is another form of forcing negativity upon me, and I will not have that.  I delete those comments and block the sending IP immediately.  It’s self-preservation.

For me, it’s all about getting value from my interactions.  Value for me consists of helpful, uplifting and positive experiences.  Value for me includes love, humor and knowledge. These days I protect my serenity with vigilance and abandon. I wish to be part of the positive in the Universe – part of the light.  I need others to help me do that.