How to Deal with Negative People

Every once in a while as I'm going through my work day, I will encounter a very negative person. Someone who has done some research on my company and they find some negative information..As I try to explain a different side, I find myself getting defensive and frustrated because no matter what I say, the prospect has an answer. It's obvious that they have made up their mind and the information they have discovered must be true because why would it be out there? Well, I can tell you that huge companies such as Walmart and Microsoft are not free and clear of complaints..No companies of that magnitude can escape unhappy customers, it's just not realistic so does that mean that you stop shopping there? Ameriplan has over 2 million members nationwide and over 500,000 providers in our network and growing. Plus we are affillated with Fortune 500 companies such as Sears, JCPenney,Lens Crafters, Walmart and more..those companies would not team up with us if we were a fly by night company. Not to mention we have a 16 year solid foundation behind us..

I truly believe that there are people out there that when faced with something good and something not so good, the "something not so good" dominates....there's no way you can convince a person with that thought process to change at least not in 20 minutes on the phone...Unfortunately, I found myself going around in circles, wasting my time and energy on a person who just wanted to argue. Later on, I thought it over and I regretted that I just didn't end the call sooner because of the simple fact that it was depressing actually. I think the lesson learned here is some people you should just "let go". You don't know where they're coming from, where they are and where they're going and it's fair to say that people get to that state of mind because they fall into a trap and can't see the light at the end of the tunnel and that brings me to my next thought.

We've all experienced bad times and hard times but it's how you handle these situations that can ultimately affect your course. You can learn from the hard times and see how you can change or you can simply be a "victim", feel sorry for yourself and throw in the towel. I don't know about you but I'd rather take the first option.

So, what do I do if I'm kind of down and need an uplift? Feed good things in. I stay away from the news as much as I can because it seems like lately it's really a downer with the economy being so bad and it's the same reports over and over. Listen to speakers like Bryan Dodge and read positive books. Working out is also a great stress relief. You can go for a walk or do some kind of physical activity. That always gets me feeling better.

If you find yourself falling into the "negative" trap, find a way to get out of that mindset FAST! Remember that how you respond to life's challenges will ultimately determine your success in life.