The election is over, but it seems as if the weight of it all drags on this past week. Some people are thrilled, some are nonchalant, some are angry, and some are exhausted altogether. Each emotion is valid.
But if you feel like the world is still divided, that there is no hope left for our country, I encourage you to think about these things. I encourage you to try to live a live where you do these things a little more. I promise you, it makes it that much better.
1. Look for the best in people.
Look for the good. Look for what people have to offer. Look for it in people that you disagree with entirely, because if you do, you’re going to be able to love them just the same. It’s a glass half full kind of concept.
2. Keep your values tucked close.
The only way you can lose is if you let go of all of the things that make you who you are. Don’t let your opinions close off your mind. Don’t let the difference in opinions change the amount of respect you have for others as human beings. Don’t let one aspect of life, politics, change every other part of who you’ve become. And most importantly, never let anything you hear or see make you doubt the person you’ve built.
3. Look up.
Look up at the sky. Look up at the sunrise that came today, just like every other day, with the promise of new. A new day. Look up at the people around you. Look up at everything else that your life entails that cannot be affected by politics. Look up, because if you keep looking down, I promise you that you’re going to miss something.
4. Check your privilege.
Checking your privilege is close-by on the path of optimism. Every single person in this world is privileged in some way. Some are lucky to have many, some have to learn to live with the few they’ve been handed. However, your privilege is not equivalent to your worth. Check them, and be honored that you can.
5. Channel your energy.
Channel your energy into production, into ambition and change. Let the election spark new ideas, new goals, and new aspirations. Let the results, whether you found them ideal or not, open your eyes to things you’ve looked past before.
6. Don’t miss out on opportunities for happiness.
Each day spent in the darkness is one less that you get of light. We are not infinite; we do not get forever. How many of those days do you want to waste? If you allow happiness to flood into your life, it will.
Don’t be afraid to let it.
