A Year of Transformation: What I've Learned Since Graduating

Do you ever look back at where you were a year ago and realize just how much has changed? I do that all the time. I love looking back. It used to be that I'd look back and get upset because sure, things changed, but never in the way I wanted them to. In the past I tended to have a much more negative outlook on life. I was the definition of "Negative Nancy," constantly being told by friends to be more of a "Positive Polly." I just couldn't, though. There were times in my life in which I refused to accept that there was anything positive in my life and that everyone else had the things in life that I wanted, that I believed I "needed" in order to be truly happy.

I have come a long way from being Ms. Neg Nanc. It's taken a couple of years and a lot of struggle (riding a roller coaster of ups and downs) but I feel I can finally say I am where I need to be in life. Things aren't perfect, because they never are (and the sooner you realize that and accept it, the sooner happiness will come to you.) I look back at where I was one year ago (if we're using exact dates, it was around the time of my graduation party) and feel my outlook on life has gone through a complete transformation. A good one. A positive one.

It wasn't easy. There were months of struggle. Months of let downs. Plenty of times I wondered if things would ever look up. My life sure was changing, but in the worst possible ways. Suddenly, I started to realize the most important lesson I might ever learn:

Your attitude determines the direction your life will go in.  

My one year of being a college graduate has certainly been an intense one, simply because of the inner battles I faced with myself every day. It's a really difficult transition for so many of us and it's so easy to get trapped in the "Negative Nancy" mindset. But it's important to realize that you're the one who determines your future as well as your happiness. The first step? Be more positive. Even an ounce of positivity a day can lead to better things. The attitude you adopt will always have an impact on your life.

Look at life as an adventure rather than a battle. No, things will not always be rainbows and sunshine, and yes, you will have some awful heart wrenching moments to get through, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

I still have those moments in which panic strikes and I start to worry about my future or worry that things will suddenly take a turn for the worse and I'll be spun into a spiral of despair (being a tad dramatic here) but when that happens I just do my best to hold on and keep reminding myself to stay positive. We're only human, so we can't be Positive Polly's 24/7. But that's okay! What counts is that you keep trying.

 I hope each and every one of you has the power to keep a positive outlook on life, despite whatever hardships and setbacks you may be facing. I know it's tough, but you owe it to yourself to at least give it a shot. Every single day!