This is the second part of a three part message on the importance of how we can effectively address the negative drains of energy on a personal level.

As a reminder from last week, there is a great deal written about the importance of a positive mindset, counting our blessings, looking at the bright side of events and how that positive mindset can create a renewable source of personal energy to make progress in reaching our hopes and dreams.  However, we do not have a great deal written about or discussed on how we deal with the negative, unproductive drains of energy on a personal level.

As we continue on our journey to build and strengthen our character, effectively dealing with the negative, unproductive drains on our personal energy will help us remain on a productive path to reach our full potential.

From part I of the message, we addressed worry as a major drain on our personal energy.  In part II of the message, we will address the trifecta of negative energy Anger-Bitterness-Resentment

We could break these three apart, but they have a tendency to travel together.  We typically hold onto these negative feelings when someone did something to us or said something to us that we felt was unkind, unjustified, or was the truth we were just not ready to accept.  In addition, sometimes we become envious of someone else and these three negative feelings often consistently follow on the heels of envy.  Although we may be pretty good at rationalizing our way into these feelings, the reality is that they result in an unhealthy level of negative energy and need to be addressed.

Below are three actions we can take to minimize the negative energy around feelings of anger-bitterness-resentment.

1. Ignore: “Shake it off” or let it roll off you like “water off a duck’s back.” This is the most passive, easiest path to take and like most easy things, returns the smallest reward in terms of minimizing negative energy.  However, it is a good step in an effective direction.
2. Forgive: This is where things get tougher. Genuinely giving up our perceived right to “get even” and hurt someone back can provide us with a boost of positive energy as we clear the issue from our plate of activities.  Eliminating the negative energy around the grind of “getting even” or stewing over the misdeed through forgiveness can free up a tremendous amount of capacity for positive energy to replace the void.  Most often, as we seek a greater level of understanding around the issue and the individual who hurt us, forgiveness quite naturally follows understanding.  Forgiveness involves a little more risk, more effort, and returns a potentially bigger reward.
3. Grace: This is the most difficult of all steps.  Basically, grace is going out of our way to be kind, considerate, and a blessing to someone who we feel hurt us.  This takes a great deal of effort and more often than not, produces the greatest rewards measured over a lifetime.   Demonstrating grace is the biggest game changing step to take any relationship in a positive direction.  It has an exponential effect on the amount of positive energy within an individual and an equally significant impact on reducing or eliminating negative energy when we have been hurt.  Demonstrating grace is not for the weak or faint of heart and the rewards, measured over the long journey of life, are unmatched in building healthy, strong relationships…especially those within our family.

As we take steps to minimize the negative, unproductive drains on our personal energy, we will build and strengthen our character and Character Creates Opportunity to achieve our hopes and dreams.

In Part III we will address the negative energy of being Lost on the street and on the journey of life.