It's all about mindset. Many of us hear this phrase every day, but many never fully really understand what it means. Myself included, many times of the day, I find my mood dependent on things that I cannot reverse. Whether it be doing poorly on a math test, the weather being gross, or just having an overall bad day, life's unfortunate events tend to take a toll on our entire attitude of that day.

One of the most important things that we can do in times of distress is to take a step back, and truly evaluate the situation as a whole. Will the math test impact the rest of my life? Will this rain outside last forever, and never allow the sun to shine again? The answer to both of these questions is no. I think that in life in general, particularly college, it is very easy to dwell on the negative, and become stressed out by little things, that at the time, may seem like a life or death situation. Failing a test may accompany the worry that you will never be able to get your dream job, and a bad day may lead to fearing that it will be a bad week. My word of advice to anyone going through a rough time is this: nothing is permanent. Think back to a bad time period, moment, day, or even year in your life. Now, look around at your surroundings. Are you still here? Did you pass the class? Did you get through the situation, and maybe even learn a thing or two? The answer to all of these questions is most likely yes.

Mindset really is everything. In times of struggle, or just in life in general, we are faced with two choices: let life consume you, or consume your life. This may sound like an odd statement at first, so I will break it down for you in simpler terms. Imagine that you are on a tropical vacation, and the weather just isn't going the way you planned on it going. Instead of being sunny and beautiful beach weather, it is raining the whole trip. While this may be a not so great situation, you have two choices: you can either stay in your hotel room and complain about the weather all day, or you can go the beach and explore what the place has to offer, despite the rain. After all, your family paid all this money to go away, and you took a whole flight to get here, right?

This situation, although a very simple example, is a metaphor for life. We are all given one, and what we do with it is in our hands. That rain cloud is still going to come, and life is still going to go on, no matter what you do or complain about. So, you might as well enjoy the rain cloud while it comes, because if not, that time is just going to be wasted. I know that this is easier said than done. I am not implying that every unfortunate situation is going to have a positive side to it; unfortunately, some situations do not. However, if we change our attitude, mindset, and the way that we look at our misfortunes, perhaps, we can end up happier. So, the next time you find yourself about to complain about something, take a step back and ask yourself, does this really matter? The more you practice, the more positive your life may become.