Positive (adj.): positive |ˈpä-zə-tiv, ˈpäz-tiv. Thinking about the good qualities of someone or something; thinking that a good result will happen; hopeful or optimistic.
Staying positive every day is hard. Especially when you don't have control of things. All of the tragedy and misfortune happening in your backyard may blind you in finding happiness in the little things.
I’m not here to preach positivity though, because life does tend to, for lack of better words, suck sometimes. I am a typical college student with all of the baggage that comes along with that, but I have recently found that realizing the joy of the little things tends to make life have more value in the long run. I found I can use writing as an outlet, music understands me better than most people, I can escape the world by reading a really good book and, most importantly, it is okay to love myself.
Being proud of who you are and the things you do is the best thing you can do for yourself. Sometimes people confuse self- confidence with narcissism. There shouldn’t be shame in loving yourself, only when you start to think that you are above people on the hypothetical scale of whatever you’re comparing yourself to.
It’s so easy to say, "this person has a better life because of this" and "this person has a better life because of that." But in the end, there are people who are saying that about you, too. There are struggles that everyone faces in their lives. Their lives and their struggles have no effect on your own happiness.
People may forget about the fact they were able to get a good grade on one exam because their parents are going through a messy divorce or the time they defended something they believe in in front of people with opposing opinions. Although we live in a self-centered, self-loving society, when it comes to much larger things, such as the value of ourselves, there is a slight delay of gratitude.
You are capable of so many things. At the end of your career as a student, no one is going to ask you if you were able to get that person's number or if you failed that class, so don’t let those small factors deter you from the bigger picture.
A positive mindset can take you so far in life. The glass isn’t always half full, but it may make things easier to take in. Don’t become oblivious to the obvious hardships in the world; just become more aware of what you are able to do and the positive things in your own life.
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow," said Helen Keller.
