The 100 Factor of Negativity

Every negative word has the power of one hundred positive words. 

This idea comes from one of my mentors, Brad Waggoner. He challenged me to rethink the way I communicate, both personally and professionally.

Think of encouragement and discouragement on different sides of a scale. One hundred pieces of encouragement weigh the same as one piece of discouragement. 

In your marriage, in work relationships, and in the church, the 100 factor of negativity is always in effect. If you are consistently negative, then you are digging a dark hole. Negativity has many variants, all of which can turn into gossip. Avoid these more powerful forms. 

Cynicism. This form of negativity is driven by a lack of hope. The cynic assumes the worst in people. The cynic will spread the worst-case scenario as if it is the expected-case scenario. Doomsday garners more attention than the humdrum of a typical day. But everyday isn’t doomsday. 

Speculation. Another powerful form of negativity occurs when you speculate about someone’s motives, assuming they are driven by self-interest. Speculating gives you power over others because they assume you have insider information. 

Misinformation. Being negative without having all the facts is not only unfair, it is lazy. People feed more quickly on misinformation than facts. 

Selectivity. This person uses only part of the story to emphasize negativity and leaves out the positive portions to reshape the narrative in a darker direction. 

There are times to…