A latte half empty can be a reason to be slightly upset (especially because they are certainly not the cheapest), but a more positive way to look at it is that there is actually half left for you to enjoy. When transferring this idea to college, which is meant to be an experience of incomparable learning and self-discovery, looking at your latte as half empty instead of with the more positive mentality that it is half full, sets you up for one dreary college career. There’s a saying that bad things come in threes, but if you’re in the mindset that bad things always happen to you, who knows…maybe they’ll come in a baker’s dozen, and small things will accumulate into many bad days and fairly stressful weeks.
Of course, I’ve had as many bad days as the next guy. I’ve left my much-needed morning coffee on the counter as I’ve hurried out of the house, I’ve ran into doors I believed were nonexistent, and I know what it’s like to live in a haze of over-tiredness where the wrong word can make you burst into tears. So who says I am in a position to tell you, “Cheer up buttercup!” No one. But I can reason to you from experience that living life as if the latte is half full can make even the most unbearable situations manageable. We live in a fast-paced society where much is demanded of us and our mistakes are amplified to unnecessary means. This leaves us with little time to reflect on anything but the big picture or end goal of everything we strive to accomplish.
Though starting to view things positively can be hard, the old cliché that, “The little things matter the most,” is very true. You see, it’s all about perspective. When you’re in the caf and someone bumps into you with a tray full of food, resulting in a stain on your favorite shirt, you could use it as a reason to tweet that day as “the worst day ever." Or, you could figure, “I need to do my laundry anyway.” I found that once I learned to let go of minuscule mishaps in my life, I felt calmer and more relaxed--things that many students would pay for in gold. We need to pick and choose our battles, notice when the sun is out, and celebrate ourselves for every little accomplishment--from getting an A on a paper to serving our first day as an intern. This allows us to manage life better when the real challenges arise (like midterms and finals).
While the multitude of inspirational quotes that decorate many Instagram users bios may appear as a cruel way to mock your lack of good days, it may be time to take their advice, and realize that when William Ernest Henley proclaimed, “I am the master of my fate/I am the captain of my soul," he was speaking directly to us.
