Keep it Positive

I decided to do the 3-week challenge to write in my journal daily highlighting the positive aspects of my day. I was excited to start this, because for the previous month I had been feeling bogged down by school, work, and my dating life. Nothing seemed to be going right, and I would come home every day feeling physically and emotionally exhausted. Sick of feeling this way, I had hope that this experiment would work, and I would experience more excitement and joy in my life. Not only was this experiment a success, but I learned and experienced a new way of living that was better than I could have imagined! I will carry this attitude over in all aspects of my life, improving the quality of life for my future family.

First, by keeping a positivity journal, I was able to have a positive impact on my relationships and the people around me. Instead of hearing me complain about how hard my life was, my friends and I laughed and smiled more together. I learned that my negativity was something that I felt solely because of my attitude. Negativity did not stem from what people did around me or what happened during the day. Similarly, positivity is not a mood forced up a person, nor a feeling one gets only when something good happens. I believe that throughout life there are so many opportunities to bask in the sunlight, even if it’s a cloudy day.

A lot of times my negativity stems from the thought that I am not perfect. I have a certain image in my mind of how my life should be and I never can measure up to that fantasy. What this journal taught me, was to focus on the little successes though out the day instead of my larger inadequacies. A quote by Dieter F. Uchtdorf sums this point up perfectly. He says, “sometimes we get so focused on the finish line that we fail to enjoy the journey.” This journal helped me stop to smell the roses along my long, bumpy, and twisty path towards perfection.