Monitoring Negativity Responsibility Monitoring Negativity

The Power of our thoughts. Thoughts and feelings are not done to us. Each individual is responsible for his or her own outlook. It is our responsibility to be aware of what we think and feel, because thoughts and feelings are powerful. Our thoughts and feelings influence our words and behavior.

Being responsible Part of being responsible is exercising self- control. What is self control? It is important to have self-control over what we do, but also over what we think and say. Unfortunately, some people don’t know that, or they often forget that when they let their emotions get the best of them. Have you ever let your emotions get the best of you?

Getting Rid of negativity We are responsible for our attitudes and behaviors. We are responsible for improving our worlds by getting rid of negativity (in thought and word) How can negative thoughts/words affect the world around us?

Dealing with negativity It’s not bad or wrong to be angry or have a negative thought about some situation or person. The way we deal with negative thoughts is important. The best way to deal with negative thoughts is to confront the situation or person respectfully and directly. Don’t let negative thoughts eat away at you and cause you to treat others unkindly.

About Anger Reflect on the following: “Anger is never without a reason, but seldom a good one”. ~Ben Franklin “Speak when you are angry – and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret” ~Dr. Laurence Peters. “Hanging on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else – you are the one who gets burned” ~Buddha

About Hate “Often times I have hated is self-defense; if I were stronger I would not have used such a weapon” ~Kahlil Gibran “The price of hating other human beings is loving oneself less” ~Eldridge Cleaver “I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him” ~Booker T. Washington “You lose a lot of time hating people” ~Marian Anderson

Being Constructive = Being responsible. How is controlling anger related to being responsible? How is hate irresponsible? Why is it important to avoid anger and hate? What ways can someone constructively combat negative feelings? (keep in mind, people often fear what they don’t understand, and people often hate what they fear….)