Last week I attended OneRepublic’s concert at the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford, CT. Hearing them live made me realize how positive and uplifting their songs are. For most of my life I have always viewed things positively, but in high school, my positivity declined and I allowed little things to negatively affect my mood. I realized that I was happier and the people around me were happier when I was always looking at the positive side of things with hope and patience and I would like to revert back to being that way. Listening to OneRepublic’s songs have reinforced my optimistic outlook on life and I hope the lyrics may have a similar impact on you, as well.

The first step to looking at the bright side of things is “unt[ying] the weight bags” that are holding us from moving forward. We need to “refuse to look back [and] [think] days were better/ just because they’re younger days” and look towards a better future even though we may not “know what’s ‘round the corner.” Oftentimes, especially since I’m going to college soon, I fear for what will happen to the close relationships I have now. I worry too much about the bad things that could happen while I should be enjoying myself now and appreciating the time I have with the people I love. We should all be “making every day a holiday” and living in the moment.

Living for today allows us to“own every second that this world could give” and make the best out of every situation. “Some people try but they can't find the magic” and that’s because they don’t “get lost in the beauty” of what surrounds them: their families, friends, hobbies, opportunities, the world. If they focused more on the positive things in life, they would be able to realize “the world ain't as half as bad/ As they paint it to be”. I’ve realized myself doing this in my own life; I have the habit now of focusing on the negatives which outweigh the beauty in my life. “Of all the things [we] love, the people, places from the future to [our] ancient past”, we need to choose one that “will cause [us] to let [the negatives] go”.

One thing that all people share is that “we all got our stories” that affect us and how we treat people. In our lives, “we have so much to feel good about” even from these unfavorable stories. We just need to take them and shed some light on them and eventually “be happy like a fool/ [and] let it take [us] over”. If I can live my life that way, “what [is there] to complain about?”