"'Good morning, Pooh Bear,' said Eeyore gloomily. 'If it is a good morning,' he said. 'Which I doubt,' said he. 'Why, what's the matter?' 'Nothing, Pooh Bear, nothing. We can't all, and some of us don't. That's all there is to it.' 'Can't all what?' said Pooh, rubbing his nose. 'Gaiety. Song-and-dance. Here we go round the mulberry bush.'" A.A. Milne

We have all had days which destroy our attitudes; days which chew us up and spit us out. Even for the most optimistic of us, staying consistently positive has its challenges.

But there are some among us who are more consistently negative. These are the people who aren't just vaguely pessimistic, they seem to drag a gray cloud around with them. I once commented on a friends tendency to see a glass half empty and barely made it out of the conversation with my face intact.

As it turns out, telling someone they are an Eeyore is not advisable.

A corollary to this truth is if you are an Eeyore yourself, chances are no one is calling you out on your tendency to drag down the mood. And so, gentle reader, as a service to you and those around you, I offer a few tidbits which may indicate that your attitude needs adjusting.

Are you ready to be honest? You are probably an Eeyore if...

Your list of complaints is longer than your list of blessings
No one is laughing around you
You categorically "hate" things which aren't truly negative (Mondays, Facebook, sports, certain types of people)
You consistently feel a low level of annoyance
Customer service rarely satisfies
Social media is used for venting
You seek out negative conversations
Debating is your "love language"
You bring up conversational topics which easily drift to complaints
There's room for improvement and you know where to start
"Fair" is one of your favorite values
You consistently write negative reviews
Negative conversations make you lean into the discussion
Most of your friends are negative
Everyone around you knows what you dislike (your job, in-laws, commute, etc.)

Sound familiar?

If so, you may be an Eeyore. Not that I'll ever bring it up.

"Well, I gotta go now. I’ve got a lotta bouncin’ to do! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! T-T-F-N: ta-ta for now!"

How to identify the Eeyore in yourself