Let's face it...it's not always easy to feel positive about things in your life, even when you are aware of how fortunate you are. Some days just stink. (even for us Perpetually Positive Pollyannas) I always try to look on the bright side of life, however, this wasn't always my attitude. I spent many years as a teenager and 20 something feeling down, always wondering when my day would come, always feeling left out, tired out and dismal. Very often I looked angry, or at least sad or distressed. I was always afraid of some catastrophe befalling me, waiting for the next bad thing to happen. I expected relationships to end, to disappoint. I felt like the cosmos was against me and everyone else would achieve happiness, except for me. The crucial mistake I made and that many young people make is that they fail to see how their behavior can help contribute to many of these problems they face. Unfortunately, even at my ripe old age, I actually know some people I grew up with who have been stuck in the same destructive pattern they have been in since we were teens. They wonder why none of their relationships work, and I can't imagine they can't see that they are just dating the same person over and over and over, just with a different face and name. These destructive patterns are what keep them from experiencing contentment in their adult lives. We need to take accountability for our own actions and stop feeling like a victim. Take charge of your life first and foremost by adopting a more positive attitude. Positive thoughts beget positive thoughts and so on. If you give off a positive vibe, positive things and people will surround you!

Imagine in your minds eye one person in your life who is perpetually down, always looking angry. They look like a storm cloud is hanging over them. Their negativity is like a cancer, eating away at them from the inside out. It infects others around them, until people can't tolerate being around them anymore. Yes, this person is an extreme case (and I KNOW you know someone like this!) yet this could be you, if you do not change your attitude to something more uplifting. Do one small thing, change your outlook just a little...smile when you don't feel like it...and you might find that someone will smile back. When you have a dark cloud hanging over your head, the grey skies follow you everywhere. Even the loveliest countenance is darkened and made ugly by a frown. A smile costs nothing yet can make a world of difference not only for the person you are smiling at, but for you, yourself. It can open doors, change the way you are perceived by the world and therefore, change everything.

There is no perfection. Life is filled with ups and downs. But if we stop feeling like victims and start taking charge of our lives, we can slowly turn the tide of our imagined misfortune. The world is not against us. We are not victims. We can have what we desire. We cannot attain perfection, but in our pursuit of happiness, we can make our lives better, and make the world a better place for our having been there.