It's no fun to be around negative people. It's a wonder that what they so easily perceive as faults in others cannot be self-understood in themselves. I was referring to the types of conversations that these folks seem to generate when a friend described them perfectly.

"It's a life-force sucking experience," she said.

Exactly.

It's so refreshing when someone captures in language an experience that has not been describable before. Conversations with negative people are "life-force sucking." The sheer ability to put it in words almost gives one courage to endure the next experience.

If that wasn't enough, the same friend contributed another winning thought seconds later. We were wondering whether negative people ever sense that they're being negative and desire to change.

"I hope so," she said. "Conviction is not a friendly reminder."

Boom goes the dynamite. Two winners from one conversation about negative people. If you use either quote in your own conversation, just tell folks that "Emily came up with those." And remember, keep negatives for old pictures...