Choices

I've been thinking a lot about the world we live in. There is so much negativity around us. It's in the news, it's on social media, and it's in our conversations. It's in the way people sometimes treat one another, and some times if we're not careful, we can become so consumed by everything that is wrong that we forget to appreciate everything that is right.

I've had my own cloudy days/moments.

Days when life hasn't felt easy, days when I have had questions without answers, and days when I've had to remind myself to keep going.

The key component is to remind yourself:

I still have a CHOICE!!

I can choose to focus on everything that is wrong, or I can look for what is still good.

i can choose bitterness, or I can choose gratitude.

I can choose to hold onto negativity, or I can choose peace.

I can choose to focus on what I don't have, or I can appreciate what I do have.

More importantly, i can choose positivity.

Not because I think life is perfect.

It isn't.

Not because I believe we should ignore the difficult things.

We shouldn't.

Not because I don't have bad days/moments.

I absolutely do.

I choose positivity because I don't want negativity to change who I am. Now that doesn't mean you will not experience negativity or negative moments. We are human, every day won't be a sunny one, you'll get frustrated, disappointed, and hurt. The goal isn't to pretend those moments don't exist; the goal is to choose what you allow those moments to do to you.

I can acknowledge the disappointment without allowing it to make me bitter.

I can experience hurt without allowing it to harden my heart.

I can face negativity without allowing it to become who I am.

I can have a bad day without believing I have a bad life

I can experience a difficult season without believing my story is a difficult one

I can be disappointed in an outcome without being disappointed in myself

That's the Choice.

We can encourage, believe, make people smile, and provide hope when that person may not have much of it themselves.

We can hold a space for people whether they are doing well or struggling, or even make someones day better from your positive aura, because you never really know what someone else is carrying.

The encourager may be the one that needs the most encouragement, that's why I believe kindness matters.

A keep going matters.

A smile matters.

A conversation matters.

Sometimes the smallest act of positivity can change someone's entire day.

I'm still learning that we have to give ourselves the same encouragement. For me I'm really hard on myself; focusing on things I haven't accomplished, the mistake I've made, the opportunities missed, or the goals that have not been reached.

However we can choose:

To think about what we have overcome

To think about the times we kept going when quitting would have been easier

To think about the people we've helped

To think about the lives we've touched without even realizing it

To think about the person we are becoming

Maybe we need to remind ourselves to be proud of that too!!

Be proud of yourself:

Not because you've figured everything out

Not because everything is going perfectly

Be proud because you're still here:

You're still growing

You're still learning

You're still trying

You're still becoming

And that's enough reason to keep moving forward.

Continue to strive to get 1% better every day.

Be a little kinder

Be a little more patient

Listen a little more

Encourage someone

Forgive someone

Take care of yourself

Take care of the people around you

I can't control everything that happens to me, but I can control how I respond.

I still have a CHOICE

Choose gratitute

Choose hope

Choose peace

Choose kindness

Choose growth

Choose positivity

Choose to be the light.

CHOICES

The Power of Choosing Positivity

-Coach C