We live in a complicated world. That's a way to simplify it. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I often feel like life operates like a rollercoaster. It starts, you go up and down numerous hills - some huge, some tiny – and eventually, it ends.

Right now, this hill I'm climbing up is a really huge hill. I have often been feeling as if I am unable to make it up and I'll just be climbing it for eternity. At times like these, it's difficult to find optimism and focus on the positive things the world has to offer. At times like these, all you can really do is laugh, as Marge Simpson said. Even that is impossible to do sometimes.

So, when my mind reaches that dark place and I begin to question what my purpose is on this Earth, I think about all of the positive things and people in my life. I try to think about how much I have instead of how much I don't. I try to not let money run my life because then, I will have just become another sheep like everyone else.

One of the first things that come to my mind when I am feeling low is thinking about the incredible support system I have in my life. There have been a lot of moments in my life where I felt like ending it. When you reach that state of mind, you can't see clearly. I hate people that think people who commit suicide are cowards and selfish.

Please stop that stereotype.

They were suffering so much that they thought their life was worthless and they couldn't see how much they would be hurting the people around them. How can you not feel compassion for that person?

I try to be thankful for my boyfriend, who is one of the most beautiful and selfless people I have ever known. I'm thankful for having so many friends who love me for who I am and who are always there when I need to vent about life. Most of all, I have an amazing family to thank for my accomplishments and experiences and who would do anything for me and to see me succeed. Some people don't have these relationships in their lives and I should be grateful that I do.

Something else I try to think about is how I can always look forward to new television shows and movies, as well as new episodes of the ones I already watch. Best of all, I can re-watch The Perks of Being a Wallflower as many times as I want. Why would I deprive myself of that experience for as long as I'm here?

I have a different relationship with music than I do with movies and television. Music has pretty much been there for me my entire life. I started watching MTV as a young child, always staying up-to-date with the latest artists and music videos and pop culture trends. I retreated to music when I needed an escape from the world and to help me get through whatever I was getting through.

Bands and artists such as Linkin Park, The All-American Rejects, Good Charlotte, The Fray, Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branche and especially Simple Plan literally saved my life. Music saves lives. It's just a fact.

Music is there for me no matter where I am in the world. You can take it with you anywhere. I have never felt as alive as I have when I was riding in a car across the Brooklyn Bridge, about to live in my favorite city in the world for a summer. I have never felt as alive as I have when I was leaning off the edge of the CN Tower in Toronto, attached to nothing but a chord. I have never felt as alive as I have when I swam in the ocean in California, letting the waves knock me down and then finding the strength to get back up.

I have never felt as alive as I have than when I'm traveling, meeting new people, seeing new places and learning about myself. Every time I have forced myself into new situations, tried to learn about new cultures and taken risks, I have seen positive results. The ability to feel these emotions and have these experiences are what keep me going sometimes.

Of course, there are simple pleasures in life that make me happy too. I love the experience of fall weather and the atmosphere in October. I love to hike because I feel on top of the world when I see the view for the first time. I love coffee because, well, coffee is incredible. I hope to have a dog one day and raise it as my loyal companion, because I believe dogs are some of the most beautiful creatures on the planet.

What I try to remember most is that despite all of the terrible things that happen in this world and how unfair it is, that it really is a beautiful place. Humans may cover it up in a cloak of nastiness, selfishness, ugliness and despicable behavior, but underneath that, the world is full of wonder. It's full of beauty. It's full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

And I want to be there for every single one of them.