I have been reading the book Stand A Little Taller by Gordon B. Hinckley. One of the things he said in his book really stood out to me and it hasn't left my mind for quite some time.
He said, "Criticism is the forerunner of divorce, the cultivator of rebellion, a catalyst that leads to failure. I am asking that we turn from the negative that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom we associate, that we speak of one another's virtures more than we speak of one another's faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears. When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my father would say: 'Cynics do no contribute, skeptics do not create, doubter do not achieve.'"
There is a lot of negativity in the world and sadly you don't have to look very far to find it. All you have to do it turn on the news, look at the tabloids in the grocery store, or sometimes simply listen to the people around you. It seems to me that criticism is becoming more and more acceptable these days especially on the internet. People have become bullies, they feel they can say whatever they want online because they are faceless.
The words you speak matter. Whether or not you know it, your words affect other people. What kind of words do you speak? Are they kind? Positive? Do they lift others? What kind of attitude do you have? Do you need to change it?
I'd like to leave you with this adage, "Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?"
