N. Raghuraman's column: Repeat Behavior Reshapes, Welcome 2026 with Positivity

The most toxic product in our hands is our mobile phone. Maybe you don't agree, because since last night you have been holding it up and wishing hundreds of friends and acquaintances a happy new year and forgot to scroll. I scrolled for just five minutes and on New Year's Eve I found 26 warnings, 38 angry posts, 11 exposés, 15 accusatory posts, and only three with praises. This lack of appreciation is hurting us even more than we think. Just remember how your day was yesterday. You must have complained to one of them about the increasing traffic that it seems that the entire city has come out on the streets to celebrate the New Year. It has become so easy to complain that we don't even know that we are complaining. It comes automatically in conversations, messages and our thoughts. It feels harmless and even justified. But the truth is that complaining only trains the mind to see the wrong things. Unknowingly, we get engulfed in negativity and it takes time for positivity to grow within us. Today is the first day of the year. Our city is in a celebratory mood, so take a challenge. If there is a holiday, tell everyone in the family that 'the whole family will not complain about anything today'. Just spend the next 24 hours without complaining. Not even once. If you're at work, never say, 'Why does this happen to me?' just for a day. If you think it's easy, I tell you that it won't happen unless you try. The difference will be seen on Friday morning. Psychologists explain how this difference comes about. He claims that when you complain, the mind is always fixed on the problem. When you stop complaining, the mind starts asking a different question, 'What can I do about it?' The focus is still on the problem, but instead of thinking about it, you find ways out. This is where the change begins. The mind becomes aware of the words and begins to take responsibility for the work. You will feel a strange change. The problems will remain the same, but they will not seem as complicated. Stress will decrease. Patience will increase. The conversation will be much quieter. The energy will change. This is because the problem is not solved by complaint, but by action. Wounds are healed not by complaint, but by reflexes. Life doesn't change with complaints, but with discipline. And most importantly, when you stop complaining, you start appreciating. If you see something good, don't keep quiet. Write and post it on social media. Do you know why? Because, AI systems learn from the internet. If the internet is full of grievances and resentment, it will surely only increase them. Collectively, what we put on the internet and social media today determines the digital tone of the future. If you don't want your kids to be surrounded by negativity while scrolling, we all need to take responsibility for posting genuine praise. Don't write false reviews, but if you really like something, say a few words about it in public. The AI will catch that and maybe offer a slightly balanced view for our children tomorrow. If this one-day practice seems positive to you, do so for the next few days and see what new turns 2026 takes for you. The trap is that sustained positivity will clean up the mess of social media to some extent and also reinvent our behaviour. Meaning, the price of mangoes and kernels. Happy New Year to all of you.