80/20 Rule

Do you use the 80/20 rule in your life?  Our pastor did a sermon recently on negativity and the way it manifests itself.  Amazing how we (as people) seem to be so easily drawn into negativity, so easily drawn into joining the negativity, and find it so hard to do the opposite...be positive!  Now for you positive people who are fortunate enough to find this thought process foreign to you (or maybe have a nickname I so lovingly call Smurfette...love you Ang!); I'm sorry, but the rest of us, dealing with negativity seems to be a constant battle within ourselves.  I struggle with this ...  http://takenfam5.blogspot.com/2012/02/lord-help-me-help-my-stupid-self.html

Back to the 80/20 rule.  80% of XX may be positive and have no issues, but 20% of the same XX has issues (or least we have issues with it).  What do we focus on and go negative on?  The 20%!  Why?  We should just keep quite, ignore, and most importantly...focus on the 80%!  One of the points we discussed in our community group the other night was the antidote to negativity = gratitude!  Hard to be negative and positive at the same time.  If we're thankful, how can we be negative?

Our words, actions, and even body language have a huge impact.  I think most would agree that if somebody says 9 wonderful things about you but then says 1 negative thing about you, what do you remember most?

In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. (James 3: 5-6)