“Negative people need drama like oxygen. Stay positive, it’ll take their breath away.” – Tony Gaskins

Teaching Others To Learn As You Do

It isn’t always as easy as it seems to take failure in stride. Even if you are able to learn from your mistakes and become a better person, the people around you may not be able to do the same. It can be very easy to let yourself be brought down by the negativity of others, and you may find that the people around you have fallen into pessimism and aggression in order to protect themselves from further disappointment. Unfortunately, this type of response is far more common than ones that would be much more productive in teaching you how to better cope with the struggles of living. However, this does not mean that you also have to fall into this “dog-eat-dog” mentality. While you may be disappointed or annoyed by the pessimism of those around you, your hopeful perspective on things could potentially teach others how to grow past this pessimistic style of thinking. Use your ability to learn from your mistakes as a chance to act as a pillar of wisdom for those who may not have the same ability to put things in perspective as you. Try not to be discouraged by the sour attitudes of others; their perception of the state of things does not mean that you should alter your view of the world to match theirs. Instead, take this as an opportunity to gently guide others towards a more constructive thought path. What can they learn from their current circumstances? What power to they have to change the current situation? How will the issues that they are currently thinking teach them how to avoid or prevent similar problems in the future? You are already well equipped to tackle these bigger questions, but others may need a little help reaching this same point. At the same point, it is important to remember that you can never force another person to think a certain way. You must also be able to set boundaries for yourself in order to keep your own mentality healthy; if that means turning your gaze away from those whose pessimistic mindset only breeds more negativity, then that is what must be done.

In a romantic relationship, you will eventually become familiar with every little aspect of your partner’s personality. You will learn what makes them tick and what pushes their buttons, and will most likely develop a fairly accurate vision of what their inner thoughts look like. While this is normal and healthy, it may also be a great cause of stress, especially if your partner has a toxic mentality. Whether or not they are actively taking steps to bring your mood down, a partner’s tendency to always be in a bad mood can quickly turn even the most passionate romances sour. A partner’s bad attitude can cause frequent fights and tension in a relationship, especially if the two of you are already struggling with your own personal issues. Your partner is there to build you up, not to bring you down. If you’ve noticed that your partner has been in a constantly sour mood lately, it may be time for you to have a serious conversation with them about their attitude. Remind them that their actions affect others, and by being a constant source of negativity, they are making it difficult to enjoy the time that you spend with them. If they are seriously struggling with their own issues, causing them to fall into this pessimistic mindset, then it may be time for them to reach out for help. Let them know that you are confronting them because you care; you want to see the bright, cheerful side of their personality just as much as they want to break free from their current sorrows. It won’t be easy for them to learn to move past their negativity, but now is the time to remind them that you will always be here as a source of support and comfort.

SWORDS. FIVE.

A disdainful man looks after two retreating and dejected figures. Their swords lie upon the ground. He carries two others on his left shoulder, and a third sword is in his right hand, point to earth. He is the master in possession of the field.

Divinatory Meanings: Degradation, destruction, revocation, infamy, dishonor, loss, with the variants and analogues of these.

Reversed: The same; burial and obsequies.

In most cases, work isn’t necessarily going to be very enjoyable. We aren’t always in our dream jobs, and more often than we may like to admit, we are really only working for a paycheck. Unfortunately, this is the way that our modern world works. To cope with this, it is common for coworkers to vent to each other about the stresses that come along with their respective positions. Normally, this is relatively healthy; everybody needs a chance to blow off some steam, especially if it’s with someone that they know will understand the nuances of their situation! However, there is a point where this mentality becomes toxic, leading you to believe that everything about your job is going to be infuriating or downright painful. Even if you don’t love everything about your current job, focusing too heavily on the negatives will only serve to make the whole ordeal all the more excruciating. When you come to expect nothing but the negative, more often than not, you will reach a point where this is all you expect to get out of a job. If you wake up every day expecting another fight with a coworker, another no-call-no-show, or yet another unreasonable demand from management, then you will find yourself only looking for these things in your work day. If they are all you look for, then they will most likely be the only things that you find. Instead, take a moment to step back and appreciate the good things about your position, no matter how trivial they may seem. Do you have a coworker that you get to work with everyday that has a knack for always finding the right words to make you smile? Is there one task that you enjoy doing, and it gives you great satisfaction every time that you complete it? By finding the little things that are enjoyable about your position, you will begin to see that things aren’t as terrible as they had previously seemed. If you have a coworker that constantly laments about the difficulty of their job, subsequently bringing down the mood of the entire workplace, then it may be time to have a serious conversation with that person about their attitude.

Judging others because they don’t have the same skillset as you is an invitation for negativity to enter into your relationships. When The 5 of Swords appears in the reversed position, it is a sign that you have learned to simply let others be, and no longer feel the need to constantly see them as potential competitors. There is much more to a person than their weaknesses, and you have learned how to look past the shortcomings of others so as to appreciate their true self. Because of this skill, you are able to make meaningful relationships with most anybody, even those that others are far more averse to interacting with. Your level of acceptance is highly advanced, and you are able to find beauty in every person, no matter how glaring their apparent flaws may be. Not only are you subsequently able to block large amounts of negativity from entering into your life, but you also act as a pillar of love and acceptance for those around you. This is truly a quality to be proud of!