The Power of the Shout-Out

Why are we drawn to negative news? It’s simple: negativity sells. It’s the perfect hook. Devastating and tragic stories put us on high alert and give us something interesting to talk about, to dwell on, to worry about.

But all that negativity is bad for our psyches, and it’s bad for our health. It lowers our vibration. It fills us with fear. And yet, we don’t stop ourselves from discussing the doom and gloom going on outside.

Imagine a world where we only focused on positive, uplifting stories? Would we be happier? Healthier? Less fearful?

I think so.

How do we change a society that has fostered a culture of negativity?

It starts at home. It starts in school. It starts in our community. And it starts when we go on a media diet, limiting how much negativity we read online and listen to spewing from the news.

And sometimes all it takes is one person to start the trend of commending others.

Recently, I had the pleasure of getting to know a special teenager named Christian, otherwise known as Crit, who, for the past few years, has been spreading feel-good messages about his peers.

I first heard about Crit from my daughter, Taylor. One afternoon, she came home from school and told me that her friend Crit had given her a shout-out on Snapchat, where he had recorded a short video of himself talking about how nice, smart, and pretty she is, and how grateful he is to know her. His sweet message made my heart sing.

When I asked Taylor about Crit, she said he does shout-outs all the time and to anyone who wants them. All you need to do is swipe up on Crit’s story and he’ll record himself delivering a meaningful, thoughtful, and personal clip about that person.

I was in shock—in a good way. In an age of so much negativity, oftentimes amongst teenagers, I was impressed that Crit was willing put himself out there––in a public forum—and shower his peers with compassion. When I asked Crit about the shout-outs and why he does them, he replied, “I do it because it makes me feel good when I make others feel good.”

Imagine how different our lives would be if most of our population was made up of people like Crit—people who understand the immense value of raising their own vibration simply by raising other people’s vibrations.

The news would be different. There would be inspiring stories about the kindness of strangers, how people overcame dire circumstances, about people having miraculous health recoveries, etc. Such positivity would be contagious, transmitting good energy to everyone.

I realize I might sound like an idealist––but so what? Like I said before, it only takes one person to affect change. So, maybe if everyone sends shout-outs to others on a regular basis, the seeds will be planted, and before we know it, a new light-filled garden will grow. And instead of being attracted to negative stories, we will bask in an ocean of love.