Each of us go through hardships at some point in our lives; there's no doubt that some things are inescapable. School might be stressful, you may dread going to work in the morning, and things just might not being going your way. Sometimes there's not much we can change in our lives except our attitudes; but attitude can have a huge effect on our overall quality of life.

I definitely fall into cycles of negative thinking from time to time, and when I do, I don't always notice it. We can get so caught up with what we're thinking about and get so preoccupied in the anger that comes when things go wrong that we forget how important it is to take a step back and think about the good in any situation.

As repeated as the statement "be grateful for what you have because some people don't have anything" is, it could not be more true. Whenever I get too stressed out about school and think about how horrible my classes are, how I wish I could just give up and drop out, it's important that I stop and realize how blessed I am to even be going to college. Whenever I work too many hours and I'm exhausted, I remind myself that I'm grateful to have a job that I love so much. In most cases, there's a positive side to everything and looking on the bright side can really make you a much happier person.

I'll admit it. I struggle getting out of bed every morning. There's nothing inviting about leaving a warm and cozy bed. But, my motivation for getting up in the morning is making myself a nice breakfast and listening to some old classics as I get ready for the day. Find something you like doing and do it first thing in the morning to get yourself excited for the day.

Telling yourself you can do something is much much more motivating than telling yourself you can't do something. For example, if you want to complete a fast mile run, telling yourself you can't isn't gonna get you past the finish line. It'll only make you want to stop and give up. Telling yourself you can will only push you farther and faster. Even positive little affirmations can do so much.

Thinking negative truly gets us nowhere. Negative thinking just leads us to having unproductive, unhappy days. Thinking positive can really change a lot about our lives. Even the small things are much more enjoyable if you look on the bright side. Years ago, I thought mindset had nothing to do with the way things happen to us, but I was so wrong. Thinking positive and doing and taking everything with a smile really influences the outcome. So next time you're stressing out, wishing you could drop out, dreading going to work, or even just being upset about having to wake up early, remember that there's so much good that comes out of everything we do.