I attended a Wizard World comic con this past weekend and received life-changing advice from none other than the voice of Mario, Charles Martinet. It's great to meet the humans behind our favorite video game characters, especially when they're enthusiastic about their job and other people. I've played video games consistently for about five years now, and I haven't heard anyone use this analogy:

Life is like a video game. Each day, you wake up and choose which character you want to be.

Martinet went on to explain that every morning, he chose to wake up in a great mood like Mario; jumping out of bed with a smile and a metaphorical "woo-hoo", accepting all challenges he might face that day with an open mind and a calm heart.

There are days we wake up (i.e. Mondays) when we feel as if the world has turned grey. There was a surprise quiz in class, a customer was rude to you at work, you spilled Ketchup on your favorite white shirt (which you later found out was inside out anyways), and you forgot your morning coffee. It's inevitable. We all have bad days. It's not the challenges themselves that give us bad days; it's how we react to these challenges that affect our mood.

If we choose to go about life with a positive attitude, knowing that we are human and make mistakes, the outcome of our day can be wonderful. Take the challenges often put before you and learn something from them. Don't back down when something gets hard. And if you fail, get back up again! There's no need to give up and let negativity ruin your day.

About a month ago, I found a video on Facebook that really encouraged me to "get out of my funk".

Here's the link.

This video put together by Business Insider was very encouraging. Tony Robbins gets down to the root of the issue. We get into the habit of using certain body and verbal language that affect our outlook on life. Much like physical exercise, we have to train ourselves mentally and sometimes physically to have a better attitude toward our daily lives.

"You can train yourself to feel passionate. You can train yourself to feel strong."

Many times Tony tells us not to settle. Don't settle for the way you feel by convincing yourself that it's just the way you are. Train yourself to work hard and be passionate about what you do and you will enjoy life to it's fullest potential.

The last point he makes is to find something you're passionate about and don't make it about you. The world is a big place. If you can find something that you are interested in that will increase the well-being of others, do it! Getting the opportunity to serve others through your passion is the most rewarding experience you'll have.

This challenge is a difficult one to go about alone. Try to recruit a friend, family member, or significant other to not only take on the challenge with you, but encourage you and push you to your full potential. From a spiritual prospective, we can lean on God in times when we're looking to grow.

I don't have this all figured out, it's a new lesson for me as well. But I am willing to accept the challenge to change my state of mind and train myself physically and mentally to help boost my outlook on life. How about you?