Negative people walk among us, and you will encounter them in your life and your business. You will have to deal with skeptical customers. You will have to face pessimistic team members. You will encounter negative vendors. Regardless of where you look, you will run into people who will insist that the glass is half empty, that will never work and you are just wasting your time.

We all can’t be positive. We all can’t be encouraging. If you don’t want your positive energy drained and your focus wasted, you need to develop the right skills for avoiding negative people. Keep the following in mind when looking for practical ways to avoid killjoys and spirit killers.

Learn to spot them a mile away

Negative people are not good at putting up a front or even attempting to. Their negativity and pessimistic natures will quickly bubble up to the surface. Be sensitive to negativity so you don’t end up in a situation where you find yourself knee-deep in a project with a negative person. Your time is precious–you can’t get it back. This is why it is crucial for you to spend time with people who will encourage you, strengthen you, and support you. Every second you spend with someone who is negative is a second wasted. [Read more…]