I was just reading over at Jonathon Carrol’s blog (I adore his books, read him asap please) his entry on being a balcony person:
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from AP:

I heard the phrase *balcony people* last night and in talking to someone about it today, learned that there is a book by the same title. The premise, I guess, is that you have a choice in life : You can be a balcony person or a basement person. We all know both kinds. Balcony people sit in the balcony of your life. They are up high, watching and cheering for you. They also try with all their might to pull you up to where they are. Basement people are full of negativity and darkness. They suck all the joy out of you and make it their life’s mission to pull you down to the damp, moldy hole in which they always reside.

And if this concept interests you, you might enjoy a short article on it–

Balcony & Basement People
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I am a balcony person, and an escapee of the basement. While I have never intentionally been a basement person, I allowed those type of people to pull me down and keep me down for a long while and in turn become a mean-spirited, mean-acting, rude and bitter person. Fortunately this phase of my life did not last long.

I am often around basement people for work or business or whatever and it astonishes me how blind they are to their own unhappiness and negativity. I have rarely met a basement person who thinks/knows/understands that they are a negative, energy-draining person. Quite often they act as if they think they are witty, interesting, or fun. They are only happy when they are being sarcastic, or tearing somebody down. They don’t seem to get any genuine joy out of life, or to be interested even about life, in being alive and striving to live a great and interesting life…like they have no inner zest. Which is, ok, whatever, their own loss, their life. But then they try to drag me down too, or some other happy, striving person, and that is not ok. It’s like they can’t stand for anyone to be happy, to be focused on being positive, to even just trying to be a better person. Sometimes basement people are mothers. Their children don’t stand a chance.

This past month or so for me has been filled with basement people, oh my word. One thing I need to keep reminding myself is that, as a balcony person, I can spread the sunshine just as quick as they can spread the gloom. I don’t have to allow basement thinking into my mind, into my life.

Which do you choose to be?

Man’s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.
-NELSON MANDELA

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