The Pure Fire Of A Purifier

I’ve been thinking about this lately. We tend to adopt the attitudes of those closest to us, both in proximity and in heart. That's why a verse in the Ancient Scriptures says, "Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you." Romans 1:12 NCV In other words, doubters get what they expect, and so do believers. Negative people get what they expect, and so do positive people. But our attitude or outlook, whether positive or negative, touches other people before our message does. 

Management consultant Fred Smith points out that any organization has two kinds of people: polluters and purifiers. The polluters are like smokestacks, belching out dirty smoke all the time. They hate clear skies. They want their sky to be everyone else's sky. No matter how good it gets, they find a way to make it gloomy. When people around them breathe in their attitude toxins, they are affected too and adopt the same attitude or outlook as the polluter. That leads to systemic relational poverty. 

On the other hand, purifiers make everything around them better. It doesn't matter what kind of rotten atmosphere they encounter. They take in the toxic words of polluters like everyone else, but they filter out the toxic, gloomy pollutants so they don’t pass them on to others. What goes in gloomy and negative comes out fresh and clear. Things haven’t changed as much as they have. 

Many real-world examples show polluters who changed direction and became inspired purifiers. Polluters can ‘Go Green’ from their gloom and doom, unleashing them to the zoom of upward and onward purification. 

Jon Gordon recounts this true story. “My wife’s friend wouldn’t stop complaining about her job, her employer, the economy, and her lack of sales. I finally stopped her and said, 'It's simple. You have a choice. You can accept your company's new policies, come to work with a positive attitude, and be your best every day, or you can find a new job. But whatever you do, stop complaining because it does no good. Change your job or change your attitude.'”

The conversation was over, and so was our friendship, I thought. Rachel wouldn’t speak to me for months. Then I saw her at a party, and she told me she had decided to take my advice. She stayed in her job, stopped complaining, and started purifying rather than polluting. Three months after changing her attitude and outlook, her sales were up thirty percent. A year later, her sales were up seventy percent.

The other day, three years after our initial conversation, I caught up with Rachel again and asked how she was doing. She told me that over the past two years, her sales had continued to grow. She’s been promoted twice and is now in her dream job. It's the job she always wanted, and she's more excited and passionate than ever. 

Consider these questions. Is complaining and polluting others with negativity sabotaging you and those around you? When you spend time with people, do they leave feeling better or worse? Do you clear the air by offering encouragement and a fresh perspective, or do they leave feeling downcast and discouraged after spending time with you? Observe how people respond to you, and you will know which group you belong to.

Why not go green with your outlook and attitude, too? Polluting the atmosphere with attitudes isn’t working, and it won't. I repeat, it’s not working. Don't be stupid. I didn't say you were stupid; I said that's stupid. In today's culture, there's as much toxic pollution from attitudes and outlooks as from exhaust emissions, maybe even more. Being a polluter or a purifier applies to marriage, business, relationships, churches, politics, and most everything in life. 

It's okay to want change, and sometimes change needs to happen soon. But don’t become wounded, bitter, or cynical about what you want to change. Don’t let the tail of attitudes “wag the dog.” Don’t let the pollution on the outside of you get inside you. Either manage the issue, or the issue will manage you.

Remember the three laws of sowing and reaping, which I have discussed in articles over the past month. You reap what you sow. You reap more than you sow. You reap later than you sow. If you sow pollution, you reap pollution in increasing amounts for an extended period. That’s chaos. The opposite is also true, and it has a much better outcome.

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu offers us wisdom here. Thoughts: Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Words: Watch your words; they become your actions. Actions: Watch your actions; they become your habits. Habits: Watch your habits; they become your character. Destiny: Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

I think this article is for me today, and hopefully for you, too. Just think - if we became ‘go green’ purifiers like I’ve been talking about in this article, we could change our lives and the lives of those around us.