I want to talk about positivity – especially in light of today’s world. I’m an optimistic person so you might believe that optimistic people like me simply haven’t had anything bad happen to them so they’re blissfully unaware of the negativity that’s just lurking around the corner. And the reality is that’s not true. A lot of times, optimistic people like me have had bad things happen to them.
I can say that I did not grow up in a picture perfect home. My Dad was an alcoholic, my parents divorced when I was 13 and I basically raised myself. I’ve been working to take care of myself since I was 14. I was exposed to drinking and drugs and was taken advantage of. I’ve dealt with Multiple Sclerosis for over 22 years. I lost both of my parents and my grandmother in the span of 9 months in 2011 and spent almost 2 years away from my family caring for my Dad, living in hotels.
I’m sharing these things not because I feel I’ve lived the worst life possible, because I certainly haven’t. BUT, sometimes people look at me in my joyful life and think it’s all been a bed of roses and I was one of the lucky ones. I wasn’t, but here’s the truth - by having these experiences, I was able to overcome my fears and I learned a lot of important lessons.
Like:
There’s positivity in every situation
People are inherently good
There’s always room for forgiveness
Second chances are important
Good things can come from something bad
Things my go wrong but there is ALWAYS a silver lining.
So my encouragement for today is to CHOOSE positivity. Look at every situation that comes your way and look for the silver lining. Your life doesn’t have to be the culmination of your negative experiences. It CAN be the culmination of the choices you made to see good in the dark. I hope that your light shines bright today and every day.