June 4. 2015.
There's more to this statement than just the surface level. This has been something I have to constantly remind myself and constantly work at to stop it from affecting me. Negativity is infectious, just like happiness is as well but for whatever reason we hold on to negativity. Having a constant battle to prevent negative influences in your life is something I passionately believe in. Whether it is people, or music, or self-doubt, or conversations, or looking at the world in a poor light, whatever the reason, I strongly suggest doing everything you damn well can to fight it. There are many difficulties in doing this that I recognize, such as, letting go of old friends. Just because someone was a close friend before doesn't mean they should continue to stay there. You don't keep your old cellphones once they've broken and become almost unbearable to use. You recognize that they have fulfilled a portion of your life and now it is time to get something that better fits your life in it's current stage. Easily applied to friendships. Do not assume that because you are old friends that you must maintain the same level that you've always been on. Generally, people change, they evolve, into (hopefully) a truer version of themselves. (At least that's the goal) As you grow, others are growing as well, and usually it isn't in the same direction. That is by no means a bad thing, but it is important to realize the other person should have less of an impact on your life. It isn't a bad thing unless you set fire to the figurative bridge. It could simply turn into coffee once a month compared to the usual fast food everyday during college. If you're worried about letting someone go then I suggest doing it slowly. That allows you more time to yourself and more time to work on creating a better version of yourself.
There's the other side to this statement as well. The internal struggle of negativity. Coming from an artist's brain, there's a high risk of self damage that soaks your soul in negativity. This, IMO, is harder to battle. "Your worst enemy is yourself" is a constant issue for me as I stare at my artwork in every medium that I practice. I created a video a few weeks ago titled "Morning Routine" that exhibits my morning meditation. I have always struggled with meditation until I started this company of myself, to which I would find my mind swamped with thoughts from millions of directions as well as more stress. Eventually I shut down and had to reboot. Since the "reboot" I've been fighting every sad, every mean, every harmful, every negative thought so that I don't digress and it has helped me out so well. I only do a quick 15min mediation but it allows me to drop to the side any bullshit that's stinking up my time and my creativity. I repeat a mantra that mainly is this, "DO MORE. WORK HARDER." which you might recognize came from Casey Neistat...but he's one of the best people I've had the pleasure of watching and learning from. Repeating this over and over again sets it deep in your mind, which is where you want it to be because it plays off in your subconscious allowing me to focus more efficiently.
Before I start to ramble, let me recap by saying, "Stay vigilant in blocking negativity in any capacity because the improvement in your life will be worth all the initial struggle to keep your head above water."
Stay strong. Keep fighting. It gets better.