I always used to be a positive person. Literally when I was little I used to radiate energy. People would come up to me and comment on my smile. Although I never thought I had a great smile, I do have to admit that I was such a positive person. I would hand out compliments left and right. I would always lend out a helping hand. I would be the one to cheer you up, when you were down. I never thought a person could have a bad day. I always saw the best in people. I never believed that the world was capable of hate or negativity. But then something happened. Maybe I matured. Maybe I experienced failure. Whatever it might be, I am not the same positive person I used to be.

I am twenty years old and I am no longer an optimist. I tend to see the glass half empty rather than half full. I tend to see the worst in people rather than the best. I am constantly my biggest critic and my harshest judge. Instead of lifting myself up, I tend to bring myself down. I do not know what to attribute this to. Honestly, I should not attribute this to anything or anyone. I attribute this change in attitude to myself. I have let the negativity of the world and the people that surround me to inundate my world. I have become bitter and down. I am no longer the optimist I once knew. I am now a pessimist.

I do not know how exactly to change my perspective on life. But I do know that I have to change. I have to change not only for myself but also for others. I have to enliven my energy and impart energy into others. I not only want to lift myself up, but I want to lift others up. This change ultimately begins with nobody else, but myself. I wonder how to block myself from any negativity that I come across.

I had this idea that I could begin by starting each day with an intention and ending each day with something good that I had happen at the end of the day. I know this may seem tedious, but I have read again and again about the power of meditation and reflection. Thus, maybe this is the one way I can find my positivity again. I seek to garner an appreciation for how beautiful life truly is.

Whatever may be bringing you down, I only ask for you to take a deep breath and to appreciate the blessings that life gives each one of us. The root to understanding this lies in intention. An intention to do good, be good and live good. A good can be found in everyday which can entirely expunge any negativity. I am on a journey to reinvent myself which can only lead to a mental awareness and being.