I have been noticing so much lately how easy it is to get sucked in to negativity, and how easy it is to get into a negative routine that makes the days feel so much longer than necessary. And if only the day was approached a little differently, or if I appreciated one extra thing instead of worrying about tasks and assignments and work that although “matters,” doesn’t really matter, I could have a whole new perspective. I have also realized though, how much positivity impacts a day and how much positive PEOPLE can impact a day—and it all comes down to knowing who your people are, who those positive encouraging people to depend on are, and forgetting everything and anything else outside of that.

When I have a busy week, it is easy to solely focus on getting stressed out and going through the motions to get everything done rather than taking breaks to realize the bigger picture, appreciate the people who make it all easier, and just take a break from it all. When there are complications in life, whether it be missing someone, agreeing to do more than we can actually handle, struggling emotionally or physically—whatever, it is easy to be negative. It is easy to complain about something that goes wrong in a day and it is easy to unknowingly be surrounded by negativity and complaining and lost energy and have it turn into a cycle of an unappreciative, unproductive attitude.

It is these times though and rough weeks like this, that instead of dwelling and complaining and making this life a sad little pity party, that I am reminded of how seriously incredible the people in my life are and how simple gestures and conversations and words of wisdom go such a long way and make such a better impact than the complainers.

Life is full of challenges, and hard days, and things that aren’t ideal and don’t go the way we would like them to. Life is full of days where you agree to do 100 things and cannot physically do it all. Life is full of days that are going to seem like the best option is to whine, feel bad for yourself, complain, and not enjoy a single bit of the day while just wishing for summer, or the weekend, or easier times, or less worries. That’s when knowing your people comes into play. That is when knowing who you can lean on for some light, who you can lean on to bring positivity into your life becomes so important—because trust me, if you look for something to complain about you are going to find it. But when you find people and things to appreciate and laugh about, you’re going to find those too. AND the best part is, it's your decision to make your days long and dragging ones, or happy and fulfilled ones.

Find the people who make you smile even on your absolute worst day. The people who encourage you to take a night off and go out with your friends even when you don’t have the time to do it. Find the people who call you and text you to check in on you just because they’re thinking of you without reason. Find the people who find things to look forward to not just in the future, but things to look forward to today, things to enjoy and appreciate about today. Find those people who make your days lighter, happier, more appreciated, and hold on to them tightly. Know your people, surround yourself by those people, lean on those people, and give your whole heart to those kinda people. The negativity isn’t worth it, the people who bring it are absolutely not worth it, and it's honestly such an easy decision to eliminate it all from your life. Know your people.