Take a step back. Breathe. Go stand next to something that makes you feel infinitely small. Make yourself feel like an ant in the middle of a field. Realize how small you are and how you're just one of billions of people in this world.

Now be in the present moment. Realize that whatever is hurting your heart right now, whatever is keeping you from enjoying life to the fullest every single day, realize that it is so small and minuscule compared to the many moments that will make your heart smile in the future. Realize that even if you are standing next to the ocean and feel so small, that you really can do big things in life and have already made a difference in at least one persons life.

Go for a long drive with the windows down, wind blowing through your hair blasting that one song that makes you feel alive. Set goals for yourself. Set a goal for the day, for the week, for the month, and for the year. Make sure you do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. Write yourself words of encouragement and leave it on your mirror so that you see it every single day. When you wake up in the morning, make sure you take the time to actually breathe and wake up. Don't just stumble out of bed still half asleep and go through the motions because you have to make it to work or school on time. Settle down at night and let yourself unwind. Unclog your mind from the chaos of the day with a cup of tea or a hot bath. Put yourself and your mental health first.

Most importantly, know that life is going to hit you. And sometimes it's going to hit you really hard, maybe to the point where you don't want to even get out of bed in the morning and face life, and that's okay. Let yourself break down. Cry your eyes out and complain about how unfair life is, but don't cry for those same reasons again. It is through those toughest times that you will have some of the brightest beams of light shining from the sun for you, letting you know that it really is a great day to be alive. The storms don't last forever, just like this pain won't. Find the joy in the littlest of things each and everyday, and you will begin to see how much your perspective will change. Find it in a child's laugh, in the way a man opens the door for his date, or the colors of the sky after the sun goes down. You don't have to go looking for it, for the majority of the time there is always joy right in front of your eyes, if only you are willing to see it.