As I grow up, I realize more and more of the negativity that surrounds me, and that surrounds everyone. It's almost impossible to smile through the fear of today's society. I think that is why I appreciate the people who pass you on the street and smile at you just for no reason other than just to be nice. Living on my own for awhile now, making my own decisions, and living in such an acidic world has made me realize the control that I do have on how I look at everything. This is how I stay positive in the face of negativity:
Faith
My number one, always. Even when everything seems to be going wrong, I know there is a purpose for it. There are some days when I wake up and within the first 10 minutes I have stubbed my pinky toe on the side of my bed, hit my funny bone on the wall, and spilled my protein shake down the front of my shirt. I mean seriously c'mon right? Thinking to myself, "Why did I even wake up? I need to go back to bed" type of days. But, when I wake up and take a little time in the morning to be grateful to be alive, it makes "crisis" times a little easier. I just knocked over all of the papers I just stacked up. This really stinks, but I know I am a klutz, and maybe God wanted me to be an extra five minutes late to where I was going. Had I left when I originally planned, I may be in a car accident right now. My plan was to leave at 8:45 a.m., but His plan was for me to leave at 8:50 a.m., because it wasn't my time to meet Him just yet. His plan for you is so much greater than your own. Trust in that, it'll make your hard days so much easier to face.
Will this matter in five years?
Why get worked up over something that will not matter in five years? That is how I measure my stress. I advise anyone who reacts out of frustration to take a brief moment and ask yourself how much will this situation matter in five years? I know many of you always seem to get stuck behind that slow person on the way to work when you are running late. Now think, is it really that person's fault that you are gonna be late or should you have prepared better and left earlier? We transfer our own frustrations onto others that don't deserve it. Okay, maybe it is a little annoying that this person is only going the speed limit when you normally drive five over, but next year will you even remember that happened? I highly doubt you will even remember that next month (unless you were fired for being late, oops! But, in reality you won't get fired for being late just one time so who's fault really is it?). Just as people say to choose your battles wisely, choose your stress wisely. There is so much on our plates, don't make life harder than it already can be.
My happiness is mine.
Isn't it amazing that we can just choose to be happy? As I stated earlier, our lives are already planned out for us but we still get to make our own decisions. One of those decisions is happiness, and the best part about it, is that it's free! How awesome is that?!? I am an adult and I get to make decisions on how I want to live my life. Yes, there are things that are out of our control, that are for reasons we don't understand right away, but we do get to make decisions for ourselves. We can choose to go to school, we can choose to take a job, we can choose what relationships we want. We don't have to answer to anyone that we don't want to. I choose to respect my parents for their advice and guidance, but I also know that I know myself best and don't need their permission any longer. You don't owe anyone an explanation as to why you do the things that you do. Trust the head that is on your shoulders and if you make the wrong decision, refer back to number one, and have faith that He will guide you back to where you need to be. You may hate your job, and day in and day out you feel the negative energy that surrounds you while you are there, decide to make a change. Go back to school, create your own business, or just be grateful that you have a job. Whatever works for you, just change the negative thinking into positive thinking because life is too short to be anything but happy.
Take care of yourself.
I am human, I have road rage, days when I have an attitude, and days when my faith is weak. I am blessed enough to be in a relationship with someone who sees my flaws as a human being and that they don't make me a bad person. If you have that support system, use them. Let it all out, don't swallow it down. If you don't have the support system that you wish you had or even if you do, find your personal getaway. For me, I enjoy writing songs and singing and playing my guitar when I have had a rough day. It literally takes me to a place of ease that nothing else can take me to. It's not selfish to participate in self care. You can't walk around with a positive outlook and try to make other people's days better if you don't take care of yourself first. Mental, physical, and emotional health are equally important. Eat right 80 percent of the time, go to the gym five days a week, and surround yourself with good relationships and people with the same goals as you. When you're happy with yourself, it's a lot easier to be that one person smiling at me when we pass on the street as strangers.
As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of acidity throughout our days. We can wake up angry at the world and have a bad day, or we can decide to change our thinking and be determined to have a good day. I know that sadness is an emotion, and life can be very overwhelming at times, and it is okay to break down and have your days. But this post is to motivate you to want to eliminate those days. Some people just choose to be angry people, and sometimes we come into encounters with those people. Instead of reacting towards them with an attitude, wish them well, walk away, and say a prayer for them. They are going through something that you may not understand or cannot relate to. They may need someone to send good vibes their way. Choose to be the bigger person, let karma run its course when it is needed, because it definitely will, and be a light in this dim world.
