There is nothing more destructive than gossip. Although most everyone would agree with that statement, most of us still engage in it from time-to-time. I have spent some time with friends who love to gossip after we have been to a party or event and after a while it gives me a heavy, sad feeling. Since I spend much of my time helping people figure out the “good” or the “best” in bad situations, I was surprised at how this type of activity made me feel.

We have all done this – go to a party or dinner with some friends and then come home and discuss how silly these folks are and how they don’t know how to make good decisions. We get that feeling of superiority and self-worth because we obviously know how to do everything right!

If you find yourself doing this more often than not, you may be creating negativity in your life, that will ultimately drag you down. There is a reason that the Bible condemns gossip, it doesn’t help the person being talked about or the person doing the talking. Gossip drags everyone down emotionally.

So how do you know if you are a “gossip”? If you find yourself talking about people and their problems all the time, you are likely gossiping. Gossiping puts you into someone else’s life without the benefit of knowing all the circumstances that put them there. It makes you judge their actions without knowing why they took them. You have an unfair advantage because you are looking back at their situation, but when they took the action you think is stupid, they had to make the decision without knowing the outcome. Seems a little unfair, right?

Although gossip seems like fun it is really destructive. Gossip hurts you and those you talk about. It is never done to help, so you never get that great feeling of helping someone. Gossip also alienates you after a while because you get a reputation and no one wants to be the butt of your expert opinions.

Instead of gossiping, try looking for the positive about people and situations. This will take some stretching at first but it is a good habit to develop. People will want to be around you because you make them feel better. Don’t you want to be THAT person?