“You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate.” – Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
One of the things I’ve struggled with most over the years is remaining positive. Although I’ve always believed in being optimistic, it’s always been easier said than done for me. I’ve gone through rough patches followed by optimistic patches, but somehow, I kept ending up back in a rut, with no idea why. I recognized that the world was a beautiful place with so many opportunities and blessings, but I felt like I wasn’t deserving of any of them. I could see the beauty in the world, but I couldn’t feel it. As strange as it may sound, I felt numb to the world around me. I felt love toward so many people in my life, and I knew they loved me back, but I couldn’t accept that I deserved their love just as much as I felt they deserved mine.
You’ve probably heard it before: You can’t love someone else until you love yourself. After seeing it on Pinterest and Twitter a million times, it sounds cliché, but it’s one of the truest things I’ve ever heard. Recognizing your self-worth and really believing in it with your whole heart is not an easy feat. To be happy with who you are, you have to adjust the lens through which you see your world. Unless you alter your perspective, you can’t expect to see positive change happen, and you can’t expect others to perceive you in a positive light.
If you focus on the things in life that make you feel hopeful and valuable, in time you’ll find that your internal focus reflects on the outside. Carry yourself with strength and bravery, even when you feel like you’re losing — if you believe you’re worth something, things in your life will change for the better. You have the power to choose a happy life over a sad one; all you have to do is choose to use it.