UNITED STATES—We have all heard the saying: Do you want the good news or the bad news first? For most people, the thought is to hear the good news first followed by the bad news. However, I consider myself the complete opposite. I’d rather hear the bad first so I can digest how to handle the situation, followed by the good news.

We should be 100 percent honest with ourselves: no one wants to hear bad news. At least I can sit here and honestly tell you that. Bad news to me is like a plague; once you hear it, it spreads like a wildfire. It is like that fire that is uncontrollable and takes a ton of energy to tame. At the same time, life is going to deliver you curveballs; you can’t avoid the bad. With the good, ultimately comes the bad. I mean could you imagine if everything in your life always went the way that you wanted it to go.

We’d all be happy; there wouldn’t be a worry in the world, but life does not work that way America. I’m a firm believer that you should always start your day dealing with the bad news. Some of you might say that is counterintuitive, but my argument is once you address that bad you can focus the rest of your energy on the good stuff. You’re not procrastinating dealing with those emails that you want to avoid.

Deal with the problem early on and you don’t mentally psyche yourself out. That is the issue that comes with dealing with bad news and good news. There is a level of psychology that can be downright polarizing and frustrating to the core. I tell my boss time and time again to give me the bad with the good or give me the good later in the day. Why?

I can focus better if I’m not investing all my energy on what can or has gone wrong. When tackling bad news we sometimes get frantic; we don’t think clearly and before we know it bad news has become horrible news. Don’t respond to bad news by allowing yourself to get into a tizzy; that helps no one in any given situation. We have all heard that negative energy tends to attract more negative energy. I will have to agree with that claim; However, I am a firm believer that positive energy triumphs negative on any given day. It comes down choosing rather you want to allow the bad or the good to win.

For most of us we allow the bad to win, and I think that is a direct result of not realizing there are always ways to get yourself, your company or family out of a bind. It may not be easy, but you can make it happen. This is not me telling you how to live your life; you might be that person that likes to deal with the good news first and address the bad news later in the day. If that helps you be productive, so be it. You might be someone who follows my mantra. If so that works. The one thing we cannot avoid is bad news, but look at things on the bright side, after the bad you always get the good.\

Written By Kelsey Thomas