The first definition that comes up for positivity is: "the practice of being or tendency to be positive or optimistic in attitude." This is true in both respects, because, while you can be in a good mood, to truly improve your mindset you have to constantly practice positivity. Improving your self-esteem is a classic example of that. Self-esteem is influenced by a lot of factors. If you are constantly in a negative environment, that can lead to low self-esteem, as well as other situations. A common misconception about low self-esteem is that there is no way to improve it and that it is something that you're stuck with.

Everything about the human mind is fluid, at least to an extent. Your beliefs change gradually, over the course of your life, or at the drop of a hat. For example, even though this fluidity is much more prominent in a child, you always have the capacity to learn a new language. This fluidity is also apparent when it comes to improving your self-esteem. Practicing positivity is a consistent and low-effort way to do so.

There are a lot of ways in which you can practice positivity. Something simple, like smiling at someone as you walk by, or maybe something more difficult, like complimenting something about yourself that you don't like in your bathroom mirror. Even though it seems difficult, it can improve your mindset. Additionally, it improves the moods of the people around you, as well. If you smile at someone on the street, it could lead to them holding open the door for someone else, who pays it forward for whoever is behind them, and so on.

Life is a series of moments that are woven together, and every action you make affects yourself and everyone around you. For example, this is my experience with low self-esteem and how I improved it:

When I first began high school, I struggled with low self-esteem. I was surrounded by people whom I thought were better than me in so many ways, and the onslaught of media didn't help. I read books where the main characters saved the world and never made mistakes, and I felt that all I could do was make mistakes. There were many things that I didn't like about myself. As terrible as it sounds, I often spent time by myself because I didn't want to inflict other people with my presence. I tried to be positive when with other people, but I thought that I was only bringing negativity.

Around the middle of my sophomore year, I came to a realization. I was trying to base myself on fiction and completely unattainable ideals, and I had to learn to actually love myself for who I was. So, I tried different ways of practicing positivity. When I saw someone in the hallway, I would smile at them. When I first started this, I was surprised to learn that they would often smile back. I then started complimenting myself at random times. If my hair looked cute, I would acknowledge that. I would also compliment my makeup, or my outfit, or how I made someone close to me laugh. It was a really long and difficult process, but I eventually got to the point where I am confident in who I am and, even though I have flaws, I have learned to work with them and try to improve them. Now I try to bring positivity wherever I go and I can see how that has affected my life and the lives of the people around me.