I believe in the power of being positive. Everyone goes through hard times at some point in their lives, but what matters most is how to take the negative and turn it into something positive and powerful.
In my experience, negativity is everywhere. Whether it is libel, slander, body image or even just a simple heart break, it is safe to say that each person has experienced that wrenching feeling in their chest or the feeling like there is no hope. I know I have in the past.
When I think about the past and how negativity effected me, it is unbelievable that I have achieved so much thus far. Going to college and being the first in my family to obtain a degree was always a dream of mine. I always heard, “You are never going to make,” or “College isn’t for people like you,”. What does ‘people like you’ even mean?
I knew I had to fight through the words and make something of myself. I’ve had to take those people’s words and hate and turn it into the power and energy I needed to be successful in college.
According to authors, Alex Dranovsky and David E. Leonardo, repeated positive energy helps relieve the stress in the mind and body. I had to learn how to reflect on myself and narrow in on something positive everyday. It could have been something small like ‘Congratulations on not hitting the snooze button today” or something huge like “You were promoted to manager at work today’. It is the little things that count in situations like this.
It hasn’t always been easy, though. Some days it has been easier to accept that others are right I can not do this. Yes, I have had those days where I cried, was frustrated, and stressed. Sometimes it felt like it wasn’t even worth trying to work so hard to get a degree.
No matter what, I perceiver. I take every opportunity that comes my way to better my education. Not everyone has the opportunity to go to college or even receive an education.
As this past summer came to an end, I realized how hard I have worked in the past three and a half years. I will be graduating in December 2018, a semester early, with a degree in public relations and a minor in digital media trends and analytics.
Not only have I made myself proud, I have made my family proud and I am a symbol for everyone that thinks they cannot make it either.
Nothing feels better than proving everyone wrong and succeeding.