When I think of positive thinking, I always think of a person that I know who has a very good positive mental-set and how far that has gotten them in their life. I see a lot of people today who don't have that kind of mental-set and I really think sometimes how they get through the day with that kind of subjective attitude. I understand for some people though, its hard for them to think positive because a lot of the time they can't stop complaining about a certain thing, and their heads are constantly filled with negative thoughts all the time, and that can be a huge problem. They usually don't think about the positive side of things. They constantly try to look for the negative and that can truly catch up to you later in life. And there are those people in life who have been through ultimate pain. Mentally, physically, sexually, spiritually and a lot of the time but not always, thinking positive can be one of the hardest things for them to do. Knowing the right things to do in order to get those thoughts flowing can truly help you become a better you and make it through everyday stronger than ever.

Right now I am reading two books that are about positive thinking, and already these books are slowly changing my life, and making me think differently about certain things. One thing that I have learned while reading these books is that for some people, a simple quote can change your life, and how you think going into each day. I was reading a short story in one of the books about a young woman who had just graduated college and plans on going to graduate school. Within months the only thing in her mailbox was piles and piles of rejection letters. A couple of weeks after that, her boyfriend broke up with her, and ever since then, everything has been going downhill for her. All of her friends were scattered across the globe living their dreams while she is doing nothing. She had lost complete hope.

It was then one day when everything began to change for the better. She came across a quote that read, “make everyday a masterpiece.” Ever since she read that quote, it literally changed her life. She now prepares to leave for graduate school in a couple of months and admits that her negative mental set was what held her back more than anything. I believe that everyone should have their own personal quote that motivates them to have that right mental-set, and to help them become the best person they can be. My personal quote is; “no matter how you feel…get up, dress up, show up, and most importantly never give up.” I have it on a sticky note right next to my bed, so thats all I see when I wake up in the morning.

There would be days where I would look at my clock in the morning and think to myself, I really don't want to get up and go to class. I never use to be positive all of the time. But the one thing I learned while getting up every morning is that by having a negative mind-set, it literally drains you mentally and psychically. We have all had those days thinking to ourselves while walking to class, or driving to work thinking “why the hell am I here. This day is going to suck. Can this just be over. Obviously its normal to have those thoughts. Everyone has those thoughts once in awhile or all the time depending on who you are. When you expect something to be bad, it will be bad.

I use to have those thoughts all the time and eventually I began to wonder, what if I just replace those negative thoughts with positive thoughts and see what happens. I use to complain about stupid stuff all of the time, but that got me nowhere at all. My days would drag on like no other. My parents have always taught me to think positive and I really began to listen to them when I started college because it really started to affect me in a positive way. Now, every morning I always say to myself that today is going to be a great day. No matter how tired I am I always put those positive thoughts into my head because they really help me get through the day. So what I am asking you to do is throw those positive thoughts into your mind even when you don't want to because it can truly effect your day, and make a huge difference.

Of course not everyday is going to be perfect. We are all going to have those bad days and sometimes filling your mind with positive thoughts is one of the only way to defeat those negative thoughts that are inside of you. Whenever I see my friends, family, or peers upset about something, I always try my best to make them think about the bright side of things, no matter how bad the situation is. I think that support is a huge thing while helping others to think positive. Like I mentioned before, its hard for some people to think positive by themselves and having someone there to motivate them or to help them can be the best possible thing for them.

Something I have been doing differently is going on nightly walks in order to clear my mind. When it comes to school I have a lot of anxiety, especially when it comes to tests. I found out that for me, clearing my mind has really been helping me become less stressed and anxious. It’s the littlest things that make me feel better about myself, and I believe that everyone should find that specific exercise that helps them relax and really realize the good things that are in their life. Knowing what you can do or having an idea of what you can do in order to make yourself feel better. Its something that can truly fill your mind with positive thoughts without making your thoughts worse than they actually are.

I want you guys to try something when you begin to feel stressed or upset about something. What I want you to do is take out a piece of paper and I want you to write down the good things that you have in your life. Think about you family, friends, peers, teachers, etc. Anyone who is supporting you in anyway and who is making you the best person you can be. A lot of people don't realize how lucky they are and how many good things are going for them in their lives. Even if you are just thinking about all of these thoughts, still, write them down. It will help. I have learned that writing stuff down and really visualizing what I wrote down in my head really has helped me overcome certain problems that I have had before. I have helped a lot of people through depression and other serious problems and I have learned that giving back and really listening to someone when they are talking to you about their problems can really help a person overcome obstacles, and other things that are holding them back.

My number one goal in my life is to help people and to make people happy because that is what it’s all about. Giving is better than receiving in my eyes. When I work with special needs kids in the summer, it really warms my heart. Going home at the end of the day and knowing that I have made someone happy truly makes me feel happy. Helping people is one of my favorite things to do, and knowing that I will be changing many lives in the future, just motivates me so much to really become someone great in this world. Life is beautiful and it isn't stopping for anyone. So what I want you to do is to live everyday with passion and purpose and believe that your greatest dreams will eventually become a reality. Someone asked me, what does it take to be happy Nick? I said progress. It doesn't matter where you are in life, if your moving and if your making progress no matter how little you are going to love it