I think we can all agree that negativity is prevalent…

It is everywhere.  Social media.  News.  Just about anyone’s outlook on the future.  TV.  Music.  Movies.  Negativity is running rampant.

Because negativity gets clicks…

I remember back when I used to watch a little of the evening news.  The first two minutes were enough to make you terrified for the future as the anchor had a stern face and dramatic language.  You couldn’t help but be captivated.   Scared.  And worried.  Fearful.  And, quite honestly, stressed.

The evening news started at 5:30 central time and I remember that they used to stick what was considered to be a positive, uplifting story at about the 5:52 mark.  I am not sure if the producers developed a conscience or if they just felt like they needed to do something positive to break the string of negativity, but I felt like, at that point, it was too little, too late.

Negativity is easy…

You might even say it is downhill sledding, which I always preferred to uphill sledding!  It is so easy to be negative.  It is so easy on social media to jump into the comments and add to the negativity.  Add to the bashing.  Add to the vindication of being right about someone or something else being terrible.  It is easy to be negative from behind a keyboard.  Too easy.  Negativity is the path of least resistance.  Not always the best path.  But the easiest path.

What if we flipped the script…

First of all, we are not going to single-handedly change the narrative of negativity.  No one can do that.  But if we gave up every time we couldn’t fix something, where would we be?  I recently read about a really cool concept that I think could change the world.  At least it could change our world!

What if this week we tried…

Reverse Gossip.  So what is reverse gossip?  I am so glad you asked!  I live in a small town in Iowa and I wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else.  But one of the quirks of our town, as is the case of many small towns, people are all up in other people’s business.  People can’t wait to share a juicy story about someone else.

Oh, did you hear about this?  Did you hear what they did, bought, got caught for, or have as a diagnosis?  And, honestly, it usually is not positive.  Gossip has been around for as long as we have been around.

But what about reverse gossip?

Reverse gossip is the opposite.  It is positive.  It is uplifting.  It is sharing positivity.  And here is how it works.  Instead of being quick to share the negative about someone, share the positive.  At your meetings with your team, bring up the wins.  Talk about the great things you see people doing.  Give compliments.  Basically reverse gossip is positive storytelling.  And to be able to do that, you need to have positive stories to tell to others.

Is this making sense?

If we focused on reverse gossip and positive storytelling about others, how could this change our corporate culture?  What could this change with our families?  How could this change our coffee times?  How could this change our marriages and relationships?  What if it is as simple as starting a meeting, a dinner, a family time, or a coffee with the best part of your week?

And what if we started with asking about something positive that you saw someone else doing?  What if you started your meeting by having everyone brag on a co-worker?

The negativity is going to come…

It always does.  But what if we set the tone of positivity at the start?  Can you imagine what difference that might make?  What if the next time you are tempted to gossip, you pause, and ponder a better way?

A rising tide lifts all ships…

And reverse gossip could change the world.  Or it could change our world and our people.  Who’s with me?

If you want to read another perspective on reverse gossip, check out this blog I found.

In addition to reverse gossip, if you need a few more ideas for how to #WINtheNOW this week, here are my thoughts.