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Natalie Amen, Columnist

What are some ways to maintain a positive attitude?

Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.

We’re all familiar with that bittersweet phrase. Whether it’s said at the end of something short lived or long term, that sentence accompanies large changes in one’s life. For me personally, change can be exciting, yet very hard to deal with. This life is too short to spend dwelling on the broken things. After all, those broken things are what make us who we are.

So, as this school year winds down and the universe decides to throw a million changes in our face all at once, I want to leave you with some thoughts.

Feeling like you have wasted time on something can feel absolutely draining, along with the many things that are constantly popping up and shaking up our usual routines and throwing us off beat. 

We’re constantly being reminded of how short our life is and how much we should be accomplishing with our time, yet we spend hours simply staring at walls. We get caught up in the funk of wanting something but not having the energy to do it.

In this life, we are not always going to get it right. We are always growing and always learning from the many mistakes we make.

It’s impossible to live every single day with a go-getter attitude, but those periods of doubt are the times when you grow the most.

I am a solid believer in the mind over matter mentality. For those who don’t really understand what I mean, I’m not talking about telekinesis or some kind of mind control. I’m talking about how your mind can be strong enough to provide physical effects in your life. 

Channeling thoughts of success and picturing yourself accomplishing your goal has been proven to increase the chances of those things happening in real life. 

It’s not enough to simply picture positive changes happening in your head, but thoughts can and will have an effect on your life. Tell yourself you’re going to be happy and that you will have a beautiful day ahead of yourself, and you will surely have just that.

Once again, life is too short to waste your energy on the negative. It may take some time to rid yourself of toxic things, but get them out. You are a very special person and deserve to be unapologetic yourself.

Don’t make your decisions based on what others will think; do what will sit right with you in life. We are faced with many choices each day, so don’t choose to go through with things that will leave a bad taste in your mouth. You don’t need to depend on other people for your happiness. 

It’s healthy to have friends and family to lean on, but independence is also very important. 

You are different than every other person in your class, in this school, and in this world. You have the strength to rely on yourself.

My aunt told me that everyday she looks for a new surprise and delight. Among all the chaos that is thrown at us, life is chock full of new and good things, so go live  your best life and don’t forget to seek out the surprises and delights that are going to be delivered to you.