The people in my life who know me well know that I’m often no ray of sunshine when it comes to positivity. Ironically, however, I try my best day in and day out to be as optimistic as I can. I have this sign that hangs on the back of my door so that I am forced to see it everyday before I leave to go anywhere. It reads, “Everyday may not be good, but there is something good in everyday.” So, no matter where I’m heading, I have that little thought sitting in the back of my mind, reminding me to always look for the silver lining. But again, I can’t be that optimistic everyday. It’s hard – when you get rejected, when you fail, when you lose – to stay positive.
And that’s when I think about my favorite word, my life motto: Excelsior.
I’ve found a few different definitions of the word “excelsior.” With the exception of Merriam-Webster Dictionary online, who defined the word as, “fine curled wood shavings used especially for packing fragile items,” all the definitions I found generally leaned in the same direction: meaning higher, upper, etc. The best translation I’ve found (and trust me, I’ve done my research) is “ever upward.”
It’s the New York state motto – ever upward. Most might think it’s because the city is constantly evolving in an ever upward fashion. But I’d like to think that excelsior means more than just getting taller or going higher. After all, it’s encrusted on the seal of New York, lying below and essentially captioning the image above it: a sun rising over the Hudson River.
So when I think excelsior, I think ever upward. And when I think ever upward I think of the sun rising. Because in life, we’re given very few promises. And one is that each morning we rise, so does the sun. The sun is indifferent to our good days or our bad days – it will continue to rise regardless of what’s going on in our lives. Excelsior means being the sun. It means rising on good days and on bad days. Excelsior means rising ever upward and not just looking for, but finding the silver lining.
But, like I said before, it’s much easier said than done. Because oftentimes, the silver lining is tricky to find. Indeed, excelsior isn’t always easy to do. So, remember:
1. The silver lining is there; you just have to be sure to look for it.
And it won’t find you, you have to find it. Excelsior requires desire and passion. Remember, it's not easy to turn coal into a diamond. So with every ever upward action you do, do it with all your heart because otherwise you’re just wasting your time. And silver linings don’t just magically appear to those who don’t put in the effort.
2. Don’t sweat the small stuff that won’t matter in a year or two from now.
Use all the negativity in your life as a fuel to rise above the small things. And keep your mind set on not only working past your problems, but rising above them.
3. Always strive for happiness.
The reason you’re striving ever upward in the first place is to achieve some sort of happiness or content. Don’t do anything unless it makes you happy, and believe that you deserve to be happy because you do. And most importantly, never lose focus of your end goal, that is, just being happy.
Am I partial to “excelsior” because it’s from Silver Lining’s Playbook? Absolutely. But it doesn’t mean that you have to be a J-Law/Bradley Cooper fan to live life ever upwardly. Anyone with the right mindset can do it. It’s what works for me and I hope that maybe it can work for you too.
So, go on. Live bolder. Live happier. Live better. And don’t forget: Excelsior, baby.
