On Optimism

Feeling good makes a difference, don’t you agree? When’s the last time you actually felt good? Have you paused to marvel at some passing clouds lately? Have you discovered that time is relative? Isn’t work just that: work?

These are things I have been making time for lately. While striving to meet personal and professional goals (and working my butt off to get there), I always make time for the surreal, the driving force behind our lives. I like to find peace in my day to day even if it’s hectic at best. And while striving to maintain different commitments in order for certain plans to fall into place, it’s necessary that I trek the higher road- the road of hard work and optimism.

My uncle died and it changed my life. I’m young, only 24. I’m impressionable. Most doctors agree that our brains don’t even stop forming until age 25. When he died, he left a mark on my life, and I decided to make a change in it.

Suddenly, all I want is a career. I want to be driven. I quit smoking. I started exercising more regularly. I offered a helping hand more often. I am giving, but also taking to and from the universe. I recognize my role and I’m slowly adapting. I’m carving out a life for myself. It’s hard but the rewards are building.

I have a second job interview at a company whose salary will make it possible for me to save up money to see the world. I hope to visit Costa Rica by year’s end and SE Asia next summer. I also want to concentrate on studying abroad. Maybe Spain. This job, in my mind, holds the key to those goals. It’s a stepping stone. I feel grateful and confident that these things will come to fruit.

My friend Marjie, a newly graduated flight attendant has given me the most generous gift of free flights for a year. I am beside myself with all the places I can visit, if only for a weekend or long weekend, stateside and possibly internationally. This is a wonderful gift, one I won’t soon forget. We are already planning an excursion to Portland or Seattle very soon. I can hardly believe it!

My family will be visiting from Chicago in just a week which means meals out, sightseeing, visiting Washington D.C. and New York, the Jersey Shore and more. Not to mention, my best friend Colleen will be in town for all of the festivities. AND we are in  the process of planning a trip to the Pocono Mountains at the end of July.

I can hardly begin to explain what a healthy and optimistic mindset can do for your life. Suddenly, positive changes are popping up and I’m ready to accept them with open arms. Let this be a lesson to me that when I feel down, don’t get tied to that moment and mindset. Fuel your life with energetic optimism, and the world will be yours.