“Make it a great day, or not. The choice is yours.” These words were spoken every single morning over the announcements at my elementary school. I didn’t realize just how true they were until I got older…

I stole the title of this post from a passage in the renowned author Arriana Huffington’s book Thrive. I actually saw her speak on Marie Ferleo’s Youtube channel and was reminded of something my mother has always told me.

We often like to wallow in our misery. We like to make ourselves hurt, for one reason or another. We fixate on people who make us cry and leave us feeling depleted, rather than doting on the people who uplift us and make our lives better. We visualize worst case scenarios leaving us destitute and friendless in a cold abandoned reality, rather than imagining a life of abundance, love, and freedom.

For some strange reason, we like to intentionally focus on and give a concentrated effort to the things that make us anxious, and depressed. Why is this? I have no clue. But one thing I do know is that we have the power to change the channel.

Rather than fixating on things that make our hearts accelerate for the worst, we can choose to focus on things that make us smile.
Rather than go to an event filled with pretentious people whom we don’t really get along with, we can choose to stay at home and watch a movie with a loved one.
Rather than imagining life as a spinster with 17 cats and no one to love, we can imagine a bright future with love pouring in from all types of avenues.

Perhaps we are afraid to hope. Perhaps we choose to be miserable, and anxious, and depressed because we know the pain of failure, and disappointment. However, this doesn’t warrant us an excuse to curl up into a ball and die. This doesn’t give us a reason to sit at the bottom of the well and rot. Surely, if we look up,the ring of sunlight will burn our eyes at first. But with time, and concentrated effort, that ring of sunlight that once elicited discomfort for us can inspire us to move forward, to climb ourselves out of that dark, deserted place.

We don’t have to stay in dark places. We can choose to change the channel. We can choose to find a happy place. We can choose to love life, love ourselves, and love others, despite the mess that surrounds us.

Find your happy place, and know that you are safe there 🙂
You are in charge of your emotions.

 

Just keep swimming.

xoxo Kaisha