The Power of Positivity!

It has been nearly a year since I decided to change my entire life and focus basically only on my goals and dreams. It has not been an easy year to say the least. I have honestly lost more friends than I have gained in this process of following my dreams, but it has been the most fulfilling experience of my life and I would never turn back from this amazing journey I have embarked on. I understand that we all have different paths in life and mine is the road less traveled, which is a bit more lonely but I am ok with that.

As most of you know, your friends don't like it when you change so most of the time you pretty much stay the same, and that's how you get caught in the trap of the comfortable life. Not saying that is bad, it just wasn't working out for me. I have found that most friends are rather negative when you start trying to fulfill your dreams. I don't think it is intentional, they just don't want to see you get hurt or fail so they think it is better to not try at all. It is the way society conditions us, to feel threatened by (or jealousy / envious of) other peoples success.

Like most people in the world, I was just kind of drifting through life, accepting whatever came my way. I was one of the people who, for some reason, thought the universe was going to basically knock on my door one day and give me the dream life I had always wanted (sounds ridiculous when I think about it now lol). Well, I waited 34 years and that life never showed up (surprise surprise) so I decided I needed a change.

I was tired of working my ass off to just get by. I was tired of waking up to an alarm clock in the morning to go to a job that I hated. I was negative a lot in life and it seemed as though negativity constantly followed me around like a bad habit. I did the same thing day in and day out. I would wake up pissed off, go to work pissed off, then go to the bar and bitch about my shitty life, come home pissed off, fight with my girlfriend then watch netflix until it was time to go to sleep. Then the next day I would do it all over again and then wonder why nothing ever changed!?! That is literally the dictionary definition of insanity:

One morning I woke up and realized that I was my own worst enemy, I realized I perpetuated my own problems with my terrible attitude and the negative way I saw life. The world was not against me, I was against myself. I realized that I am the only person who gets to decide how I react to things. I am the only person who gets to choose how I feel when I wake up. I am the only person who gets to decide the words that come out of my mouth that can affect everyone around me daily. I am responsible for everything in my life!

Occasionally I still get angry over something I have no control over. When that happens I try to remember my dads favorite phrase to us as kids

"You don't get to choose what happens to you, but you do get to choose how you react to it."

I eventually came to realize I am the only one who is responsible for my day, my emotions, how I look at and react to things. I knew my life had forever changed, but I didn't realize how much.

I didn't know how to be the person I wanted to be so I started listening to motivational speeches to point me in the right direction. I knew if someone else had ever done it before in history then I could do it also, I mean we are all human beings, right? So I listened and learned for months, I wrote down all the similarities and realized inaction was my worse action. So I started to take action by taking control.

control your morning and you will win your day

I needed complete control of my day, no more drifting through life like a zombie. I decided to change everything in my life that I did have control of starting off with how I woke up. I refused to be negative anymore, I refused to carry yesterdays' problems over into today. I promised I would start off everyday with a smile and the first words out of my mouth would be ones of gratitude, kindness and thankfulness. It was time for a change, negativity was out of my life, it was positivities time to shine! I learned the more positivity I put out into the world the more positivity came back into my life. It seems to good to be true right? I promise you it's not.

I continued adding small efforts of positivity daily. I'd make sure to smile to the employees at the gas stations and the stores I go to. I wouldn't get angry when other people had road rage. I would go out of my way to open a door or help someone with groceries. I thanked garbage men and city workers, people who have thankless jobs. Whatever small gesture I could do to brighten someone else's day. That was my goal, to spread smiles to everyone. :)

It got to the point whenever anything bad would happen, I would just smile and say "good" and instantly look for the good in it. I stubbed my toe on the coffee table "good," I need to learn to pay more attention. I forgot to pack my lunch, "good" I have been being unhealthy and could skip a meal. My car broke down, "good" I needed some more exercise. I didn't get that promotion at work "good" I don't want to make this my career anyhow, time to move on. My life became a game, to find always find positivity in every instance, no matter what. It sounds crazy but I promise you it is the most freeing feeling in the world, to be positive about everything! I have to warn you though, most people will despise you because you think this way, but i say "good," that makes you appreciate your few real friends in life. ;)

If you want to have a great life, you have to be willing to do things most other people aren't willing to do.

My whole life changed rather fast after that. I started feeling good about myself so I stopped drinking every night which meant less fighting with my significant other. I started eating healthy and then walking because I felt so good. It became a giant snowball effect, the more positive I was, the better I felt, the more healthy stuff I did, which improved my health, which ultimately made me enjoy my life more. And that kept happening more and more.

I really began to appreciate nature on our walks, so I got a camera, then walks started happening twice a day. I never imagined I would enjoy photography but it is now one of my biggest passions. Being positive in life helped me to truly see the beauty in this world once again. On walks I look for birds, insects, flowers, trees and wildlife to photograph. I stop to enjoy the sun on my face and the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. I enjoy the sunrise and sunset nearly everyday. I finally realized I had it all wrong, it isn't about the money or the mansions, its about being grateful and appreciative for every day we have in this magnificent world. It doesn't matter how much money you have, the sunrise and the sunset looks the same to everyone, and that's the amazing part of this world, everyone gets to enjoy its beauty equally, without discrimination. Funny thing is tho, once you stop caring about money and you have your life right, it floods comes in like a waterfall, because you have realized that the true gift in life, IS LIFE.

yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come. Today is the only gift we have and that is why it is called the present.

Now I fill up my days with positive experiences through meditation, yoga, photography, exercise, walks and talks about our dreams and goals. I knew that I would find a way to fulfill my dreams if I just kept working at it everyday and staying positive. One day that path became clear, we looked back and realized we had made it to the starting line of our dream life. Now we are about to begin our new year with our new dream lives, traveling the world. All because of the Power of Positivity! So remember, if any human has ever done it before than it is possible for you to do too! Dream big and stay possitive.

Peace, love and all that hippie shit