Throughout my life, I have faced several challenges and set backs. Each obstacle I faced led me down a different path. I never knew where I was headed, and to be honest that scared me. But after a while, I have learned that dwelling on the situation, or questioning the unknown does nothing but make the situation worse. Instead, I began to recognize my challenges and begin to teach myself ways to overcome each situation handed to me. This allowed me to be in control of the situation and truly see what I am capable of.

By choosing to live life optimistically, I began to see a world full of color. I found myself dreaming of what my future would look life, and started setting goals for myself. Instead of being put in challenging situations, I started challenging myself.

To me, being optimistic means to see opportunities for yourself. This allows you to be free. Free from stress, doubts, and insecurities. With every situation, you gain a greater understanding of your strength, worth, and capabilities.

Here are a few empowering quotes by those who were faced with adversity, but found ways to overcome the odds. Hopefully these quotes will empower you to see your endless capabilities.

"As long as there is coffee in the world, how bad can things be?" - Cassandra Clare

"Everything great was accomplished by fools who dreamed." - Emily Dana

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Don't let your failures define you -- let them teach you." - Barack Obama

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the word." - Anne Frank

"Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them." - Marcus Aurelius

"For myself I am an optimist -- it does not seem much use to to be anything else." - Winston Churchill

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." - Jimmy Dean

"Every problem has a gift for you in its hands." - Richard Bach

"The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser -- incase you thought optimism was dead." - Robert Brault

"They can because they think they can." - Virgil

"Optimism is the madness of insisting that all went well when we are miserable." - Voltaire

"I am enjoying my life because things aren't going as planned." - Rohit Pandita

"There is some good in the world, and it's worth fighting for." - J.R.R.Tolkien