Integritus Prime

Recently, I noticed a loved one was complaining incessantly. They complained to us in person, and to everyone on every call they received or made. It got me wondering why this person, who is usually so positive, would be complaining so relentlessly.

I realized that this person had been exposed to another person recently who complained all day long and they spent a few weeks together. My loved one had absorbed this negative habit, and was now exhibiting it themselves, without conscious knowledge of this change in them.

We brought gentle and mindful attention to this complaining tendency, and our loved one began to notice their behavior. Soon, they were able to disentangle themselves and complain less, although the habit lurks and shows up from time to time.

We absorb habits from those around us, and become more like them, whether these habits relate to thought patterns, behaviors, or attitudes. This is why it’s so important to choose our company wisely.

Both positive and negative thought patterns can rub off on us, and rewire our brains accordingly. Negative experiences impact us more than positive ones, so we need to be mindful not to keep dwelling on the negatives.

The good news is we have neuroplasticity, which means we can rewire our neural pathways using positive affirmations, and change our thinking. This takes time, but is worth the shift in our thinking. Since our mind controls our reality, changing our minds in a positive way has the power to make our lives better. Let’s use this power for good – what complaining habits could you let go of starting today?