At times, it can be so easy for me to point out the flaws in my life, but I embrace them and look at the brighter side of things. Choosing to live life in misery only radiates negativity and self-pity and causes ruminating thoughts that cause my anxiety to be elevated, thus making it impossible to be productive.

The last five years have had their share of ups and downs due to me not taking care of my mental health and putting it at the forefront of my needs. Now that I acknowledge that it needs to be at the forefront of my needs, and I know that, I can see the brighter side of life. I could easily complain about the things that I struggle with or cannot do, and in fact I did that for some time this week. But then, I get frustrated because I waste so much time in doing so, that I struggle in other areas like sleep and needing to complete productive tasks, etc.

This is different from toxic positivity. I acknowledge that I do face challenges, but I make the best of them and do not dwell on them. This is where being a fierce advocate and doing what needs to be done to protect your well-being must come into play.  If you need something, then you must advocate for it appropriately to make your life manageable. That is sometimes all we can do. Living life in the way that we need to and look at the brighter side of things.

I could think of so many things that I dislike about my life today, but I choose not to think that way. There is so much that I need to be grateful for because I have got many things without needing the help of others, even when others were to be helping me get my life straight, I had to pound the pavement and do what I needed to do to get out of challenging situations. I could have chosen not to do anything and in fact because I was struggling a bit mentally, some, even loved ones doubted me, but I made sound decisions that prevented me from ending up in more challenging situations than I am now.

I have accomplished so much in life and that is because I am so darn resilient and knowledgeable. While I may be intelligent in many ways, there are many other ways that I struggle to get through the days of my life and it indeed can be frustrating when I face challenges along the way, but I know that is only one part of the day and there are many bright things about the day that I need to see. I know that there are many other people that look up to me and are very proud of the man that I have become over time.

It is not to toot my own horn because indeed there have been challenges in life that I have faced and 2020 and 2023 have immensely proved that and have been some of the best life lessons that I needed to experience. I sometimes get reminders and prompts of what I need to do to take care of myself or to see if I am well,  and this used to be frustrating and make me feel down about myself, but now I realize that others are checking in or making sure that I am doing those things because they care and now when those comments are made to me, it reminds me I am doing well and need to do what is necessary to stay well.

Life is what you make it. For a long time, I chose to see the wrong in everything and be negative about things that I couldn’t control. It not only made my life miserable, but it also made the life of everyone who was helping miserable and frustrated because I was unable to see the brighter side of life, no matter how small those things were sometimes, they needed to be seen. Sometimes, I wallow in self-pity, but after awhile I recognize that I need to move on and focus on what is needed to make my life better for me and I slowly get back on the right track.

I choose to be happy and see the brighter side of life because it makes life flow so much easier than being so down and out all the time or seeing everything that is wrong with life. There’s so much more to life than what is wrong in one’s personal life. It is a choice that I make and try to live life day by day, sometimes hour by hour so my needs are met. Being happy and seeing the positive side of things helps me live life to the fullest.