How To Stay Positive | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Life's Nothing But A Walk In The Woods: Your Mindset Determines Your Journey

Make every mile of the journey matter. You control your own happiness.

123
Woman

Ah, the human race. All different races, languages, and pasts. In every life of the beings that inhabit this planet, there are stressors present each day. You see the word stress in stressor, and you may think it is associated with negativity. This is not the case; stressors are the series of events that occur throughout the day that trigger reactions. Stressors can be positive leading to a flow of good energy and the happiest of vibes, but they can also be negative leading to a mind clogged with bad energy and intense emotion.

For example, someone fails a test. This is a negative stressor for obvious reasons. There's one of two ways this person can react. They'll react erratically, being in a state of anger and upset, no action will be taken to change the next test's outcome, and no lesson will be learned. The other reaction would be positive. Yes, of course, there will be sorrow, but they would say to themselves, "It's okay to fall, I'm just going to pick myself back up and improve, it's only up from this point on." They will actively seek ways to change the future outcome, and most importantly, they will take away a lesson from the mistake that was made and look to fix it.

No journey was ever easy, no journey is ever easy, and no journey will ever be easy. You are the one who determines the difficulty and efficiency at which you move. Life is not a freshly paved highway. The road that you're on from the start of your journey to the end is a wooded mountain path. You will encounter landslides, grizzly bears, boulders, and forks in the path. Landslides will set you back a bit, but you should conquer and continue. Do not let them discourage you, and surely do not stop progressing on your path.

Grizzly bears are known to kill fully grown men. Approach situations with a calm mind and positivity. Would you get angry and lash out at a grizzly bear? If you answered no, then you shouldn't be dealing with real-life situations that way either, because although you won't be mauled, the degree of negativity in which you reacted to the situation could come back and haunt you. You approach a boulder that's blocking your path. It's too wide to just walk around and completely avoid. Do NOT lose hope. You may sit by the boulder to think, but do not make it the end of your journey. You remember the rope that you have in your backpack and come up with ideas to utilize it.

Find the tools and help that you need to solve an issue. Help is always available and you're definitely not alone. A fork in the road will provoke your thoughts. Whichever side of the path you choose to take, you will still encounter more obstacles in your journey. Do not think about the what ifs. You need to follow your heart and be confident in your decision at that moment. You are always one decision away from changing your life, whether it propels you or works against you making you trudge a bit.

The difference between optimists and pessimists is their outlook on life. Always aim to see the glass half full as opposed to the glass being half empty. Ask yourself, what good will you receive from seeing the glass half empty? You're dwelling on the fact that you've already lost half the water you began with, as opposed to admiring the fact that you still have a whole half glass left to put to use. Optimists take the half glass that they have and increase the water level with their happiness, growth, and love. Pessimists take the half glass and the water level gradually decreases with all the negativity that's crowding their space, preventing growth, happiness, and love.

Take a minute. Think to yourself, what good am I going to get from being negative? Will I achieve anything if I whine and cry? Would things be different if I approached the situation with a smile on my face and a positive attitude?

There is never validation for negativity, no matter what life tests you with. By being negative you prevent yourself from learning, you prevent yourself from growth and flourishing, and you block all possibilities of improvement not only to yourself as a human, but the skills that you carry within you. Everyone should aim to be the absolute best that they can be, but negativity is a roadblock for many.

Your mindset will create your experiences. You are in full control of if you want to be happy or not, and it's all dependent on your energy and attitude in daily life. Radiate your energy to those around you because it's contagious. Stay positive. Stay happy. Stay motivated. Wake up every morning with a smile on your face and seize the day.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
two women enjoying confetti

Summer: a time (usually) free from school work and a time to relax with your friends and family. Maybe you go on a vacation or maybe you work all summer, but the time off really does help. When you're in college you become super close with so many people it's hard to think that you won't see many of them for three months. But, then you get that text saying, "Hey, clear your schedule next weekend, I'm coming up" and you begin to flip out. Here are the emotions you go through as your best friend makes her trip to your house.

Keep Reading...Show less
Kourtney Kardashian

Winter break is over, we're all back at our respective colleges, and the first week of classes is underway. This is a little bit how that week tends to go.

The professor starts to go over something more than the syllabus

You get homework assigned on the first day of class

There are multiple group projects on the syllabus

You learn attendance is mandatory and will be taken every class

Professor starts chatting about their personal life and what inspired them to teach this class

Participation is mandatory and you have to play "icebreaker games"

Everybody is going out because its 'syllabus week' but you're laying in bed watching Grey's Anatomy

Looking outside anytime past 8 PM every night of this week

Nobody actually has any idea what's happening this entire week

Syllabus week is over and you realize you actually have to try now...or not

Now it's time to get back into the REAL swing of things. Second semester is really here and we all have to deal with it.

panera bread

Whether you specialized in ringing people up or preparing the food, if you worked at Panera Bread it holds a special place in your heart. Here are some signs that you worked at Panera in high school.

1. You own so many pairs of khaki pants you don’t even know what to do with them

Definitely the worst part about working at Panera was the uniform and having someone cute come in. Please don’t look at me in my hat.

Keep Reading...Show less
Drake
Hypetrak

1. Nails done hair done everything did / Oh you fancy huh

You're pretty much feeling yourself. New haircut, clothes, shoes, everything. New year, new you, right? You're ready for this semester to kick off.

Keep Reading...Show less
7 Ways to Make Your Language More Transgender and Nonbinary Inclusive

With more people becoming aware of transgender and non-binary people, there have been a lot of questions circulating online and elsewhere about how to be more inclusive. Language is very important in making a space safer for trans and non-binary individuals. With language, there is an established and built-in measure of whether a place could be safe or unsafe. If the wrong language is used, the place is unsafe and shows a lack of education on trans and non-binary issues. With the right language and education, there can be more safe spaces for trans and non-binary people to exist without feeling the need to hide their identities or feel threatened for merely existing.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments