"My destination is no longer a place, rather a new way of seeing." - Marcel Proust

This life is a series of highs and lows, surprises and hardships, and uncontrollable emotions. You can either complain about life or embrace it. It's yours to live and you never know how long it will last. So, keep these things in mind every day because you are always in control them.

1. Which side of the bed you wake up on

Even if your life is not ideal, you woke up today. That in itself is something to be grateful for. Although you might feel like you woke up helpless in the passenger seat of life, you can control the first decision you make in the morning: the side of the bed you wake up on. Do you roll out of bed with a negative mindset on today? Or do you wake up, take this new day by the reins and decide it's going to be the best day of the week? You decide. You will always be able to decide your outlook on today.

2. The way you look at the little things

When looking at your gas gage on the way to work, you can see that you have one hundred miles until empty. You can either look at that gage and think about all the places one hundred miles can take you, near or far, or you can focus on the money you will have to spend when it's time to refill your tank. Which outlook will make those last hundred miles more enjoyable?

3. The way you respond to hardships and setbacks

I'm not going to lie, life throws us all hardships and it's always at the most inconvenient times. You can't control that, but you can control how you address it. Do you blame others or do you remember that although some people aren't battling the same issues as you are doesn't mean they aren't battling any issues at all? The way you react to situations defines you. What you say about others says more about the type of person you are than it does about the type of people they are. So who do you want to be?

4. The way you express gratitude toward others

You can't always control how others feel, but you can control how you make them feel. Expressing gratitude towards everyone, even strangers, by addressing their presence or simply saying "thank you" can have a large impact.

5. The way you treat yourself

Self-talk: the act or practice of talking to oneself, either aloud or silently and mentally. This can be a huge factor in how you feel about yourself and others. If you remember to talk to yourself in a positive manner you will see it transfer to the way you treat others as well. If you try to encourage yourself daily you might see your attitude, thoughts and life change for the better.

"You can change the place you live, your clothes, your interests, your friends, your religion and even your partner. However, if you forget to change your mind, your attitude, beliefs about the world, how you treat people and how you plan to be different this time around, why did you even bother?" - Shannon L. Alder