I was made aware of having a type of personality defect and by my own subconscious no less. I hold grudges. If a person has wronged me, not only will I hate them for the rest of their natural life, I'll spend a good portion of time figuring out how to get revenge. Insert maniacal cackle and gleeful rubbing of hands here. Necessary Disclaimer: I never have actually gotten revenge against anyone but I've certainly wasted many hours dreaming up ways in how I could.
Destructive traits are like food left in the refrigerator too long. We are all aware of how that innocent meatloaf, alone and forgotten in the back of the fridge, can quickly morph into the Hamburger of Doom. Likewise, our negative attributes oftentimes don't start out as such. At some point they did serve a purpose. Remembering someone's poor behavior can save you from wasting time on a person who is a colossal jerk.
It starts to become a problem, however, when it disrupts your life and inhibits your ability to get along with your fellow humans. I realized that a lifetime of grudge holding has left me with a negative attitude and lot of time and energy wasted on insignificant things.
These types of traits put your mental, social, and physical health at risk. Anger raises blood pressure which can put you at risk for a heart attack or stroke. A negative attitude can spark depression which, in turn, is often associated with suicide. Overeating can lead to weight gain, a risk factor for diabetes.
Anyway you look at it, turning destructive traits into positive ones can only help to improve your life. I decided to do something more productive with my time and cull together a few tips to help overcome this problem.
