Is the glass half full, or is it half empty? How many times in your life have you heard that damn question, the answer is probably too damn many, but when looking at your life and looking at how you view the world around, if you're a glass half empty kinda person, I'm here to challenge you as to why.

The world is shitty. Our president is an abomination of a man who looks like he bathed in Cheeto dust. I get it. I understand that you're pissed because the world we live in isn't always the greatest, but is thinking it's terrible really doing you any good? No, no it's not.

Gandhi once said, "your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, and your values become your destiny."

I truly believe that if you say something enough, it becomes true. If you say "I'm worthless" or "this place sucks" enough times, your words become prophecies that you just helped fulfill.

Everyone's life is hard. Just because you're going through something, doesn't mean that the person next to you isn't. Everyone handles their shit differently, but from personal experience, I can tell you that trying to think of something, anything positive will make your life better.

This is HARD. Humans, especially now, aren't necessarily programmed to think about the good that can come out of a crappy situation, but it is possible. If you change your thoughts, you change your words and when you change your words, you change your behaviors. The moment you change the way you think is the moment when you start to change your life.

Now, as you're reading this, you may be thinking, "okay crazy person, whatever." BUT ITS NOT WHATEVER. If you put the same amount of energy into being optimistic as you do into thinking that the world is shit, your life, and your attitudes and everything around you will change.

Look at your life with an open mind. Self-reflect for a hot minute and look at what really matters in your life and try to find at least two things that are going the way you want them to. You may be 20 pounds overweight and flunking your math class, but maybe you have the best hair the world has ever seen, or you have a supportive partner who understands what you're going through. Whatever it is, there is a positive spin, and I suggest you take it. Why think about how bad everything is when you can focus on how great everything is.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not saying to rid your life of emotion. Sadness, anger, frustration, these are all important when it comes to having good mental health, but you can still be pissed the fuck off that college students still forget to bring a writing utensil with them to class, and still be upbeat. Being positive isn't necessarily about being happy all the gd time, it's about believing that the world is innately good, rather than innately bad.

Decent human beings are still out there and in order to believe that, you yourself also have to be a decent human being and think about how your positive behaviors can positively affect the world around you and the future that is bound to come.

If you've watched Parks and Rec (and if you haven't, stop reading this and go watch it right now) then you know how optimistic Chris Treager is. Be like him. Make every moment in your life a positive one, because you're alive and you're here and there are so many things on this earth that are great. I mean, hello, dogs exist and we humans didn't do a goddamn thing to deserve them. Be the human that dogs deserve.

It's a new year, go out and do great things because I know you're capable.