I’m a strong believer in positivity. When given the option between being bitter and negative or being cheerful and happy, I will always choose the latter. A smile and a positive attitude can make a world of a difference.

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Now, this may seem simple, but it is not. When someone has been conditioned to constantly think negative thoughts, it can be difficult to change that inner voice into a positive voice. It can take months and years of actively paying attention to that inner dialogue to change it from “I can’t” to “I can” or “this sucks” to “how do I deal with this?”.

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Many people are conditioned to believe that they must aspire to be like the models and famous people they see on Instagram. People don’t generally share their worst moments on social media, which creates an unbalanced version of what life truly is like. I post photos from my vacation, but I don’t post photos after I ugly cried from being overly exhausted. People struggle and experience grief, but that often isn’t seen by the world.

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It is very unrealistic to think that every thought in your mind can be changed to a happy and positive thought. It’s okay to have bad days and bad parts of days, but someone who strives to be happy will try to figure out what is making their day or moment bad, recognize whether those feelings are irrational and if they can be fixed, and try to make things better using thoughts. Bad situations are not made better simply by positive thinking, but having a better mindset about the world can help make dealing with problems easier, whether that is fixing the problem or finding a way to cope.

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I used to get annoyed at the rain. I have to avoid puddles to keep my shoes dry and my clothes get all wet and it’s just a hassle to walk through the rain. One day when it was raining I decided to change my opinion of rain and enjoy it. I rolled up my sleeves and put my hood down so that I could feel the rain on my skin. It felt wonderful and I closed my eyes and enjoyed it. The rain was the same as it always had been, but I decided to change myself and it has made my life better. This goes for any other situation that cannot be changed. In Erie it snows, and it is something that has to be dealt with and can be enjoyed.

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I’m currently trying to change my perspective on getting up in the morning. I have a bad habit of being late to the first thing I have to do because I get up too late. Instead of trying to enjoy an extra minute of my warm bed, I need to get myself excited for the things that I am going to accomplish that day. This is easier said than done, of course.

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Choosing to be positive instead of negative can also have a profound effect on the people around you. I don’t like being around negative people because they bring me down with their constant complaining and hatred of the world. I want to be friends with people who strive to find the best in each day and who want to help brighten other people’s worlds. Those are the people who you genuinely enjoy being around and those are the people I want to experience life with.

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Being positive is important, but it’s also important to be realistic. People that have an unrealistic happy perspective on the world’s problems just seem out of touch with reality. It’s necessary to look at things as they are. A lot of problems can get people down, such as the poverty rate in the U.S. and around the world, but positivity is necessary for finding solutions. Someone who is negative will give up and believe that there is no way out. A positive and realistic person will look at a problem and do what they can to solve it.

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As we enter the final weeks of the semester, I bet that many people are going to be struggling to get their work done and bring up those grades at the last minute. Positivity is greatly appreciated and the impact of little acts of kindness cannot be overstated. If you’re feeling down and need a pick-me-up, check the Random Acts of Kindness stairwell in Reed. If it’s more severe than just feeling down, the Personal Counseling Office is located on the first level of Reed, right by the Beacon newsroom and a little bit past the RUB Desk.