In my 20 years of life I have learned that everything is a matter of perspective.

When I was younger, this just seemed like a very cliché phrase that meant nothing until I gave it a little bit of thought.

The way we see things, the way we listen, the way people listen to us, the way we feel about certain circumstances, and the way those circumstances affect us, everything is defined by a point of view.

See? To me, this sounded like big fat lie that people make up just to feel better.

Until one day, something really bad happened to me. Really bad. These two words are key, because what is really bad in my eyes, can be a moment of calm in someone else’s eyes. Someone that probably has been through worst things in this life than me, but does that mean that what I am going through is not bad? No, of course not!

To a worm, we may be the least dangerous creatures in this planet, and chickens may be the most dangerous creatures; while to a chicken, it’s us that are the most dangerous creatures in this planet. Everything is a matter of perspective. The way I see it, your problems are not any less important in this life than anyone else’s problems, but they can be less important to you.

As human beings, we get so caught up in our own lives that we swathe ourselves in a circle of troubles. We have all been hurt, and we have all felt pain, and sometimes we blind ourselves in the process. But what if we take a step back, and see the bigger picture? You see, the world is so much bigger than our own lives and problems. If you want your problems to be over, they can be. You just have to see things from a different angle. Some people hurt others, and they may try to hurt you, but when you understand that the reason why they do it is because they can’t see past themselves, life will become so much easier. Or maybe it seems that way because our perspective expands, either way, they won’t be able to hurt you, and there will be a smile on your face.

We see things as we are. I also think it’s true that our experiences make us who we are. Right now I see things from a completely different perspective than I did when I was younger because I have been through so much. Yet again, there are people in this world that have been through so much more than me.

I guess this is just me reminding myself that even if I am having a rough time, I need to take a step back, and see everything from a different angle. But if you, while reading this, are having a rough time, remember that it is only up to you to try to find beauty in everything. Even if this are the deepest darkest times that you may face, make something positive out of it.

Even just writing about it like I am doing right now feels therapeutic. This is where you choose how strong you are, how you react to things that come your way. And the best part, if you don’t like it, you can always change your perspective once again.