Note to Self:
Surround yourself with positivity. Positive people. Positive words. Positive energy.
It's been a couple months! But have I learned a lot in that time.
Two months ago I was just heading into the last few weeks of my 4th semester in college. Finals were coming and stress levels were rising. You probably wouldn't know it, but I was in a pretty bad place. The only person who really understands this is my husband and I appreciate him being by my side through it all.
I was depressed. Not clinically, not officially diagnosed, but just depressed. I was negative... a lot. I would joke in public and with friends and try to be the happy, upbeat person I felt like I should be. When I got home, though, it wasn't the same story. I would cry for no reason and get upset at the smallest things. I'd sit and not want to do anything. I'd watch Netflix and not really even pay attention. I new something had to change. My husband was so patient and kind with me through it all... but I was starting to get impatient with myself. I didn't understand why I was so down and couldn't seem to get back up. I'm still not sure. I can only guess that it was just a rough patch. But that rough patch brought on a lot of significant changes in my life.
Two months ago I decided to join as an independent distributor with It Works! It was a huge decision and I was scared to take the leap. What pushed me over the edge? I knew I needed to make a change in my life. If you read my previous post about it ( http://notetoselfcollection.blogspot.com/2015/03/it-works.html ) you'll see that my reasons for joining were: 1) earn another income to be more financially stable, 2) help myself and others reach goals, and 3) become more confident and grow as a person.
I've only been in for two months and I've already seen these changes starting to take place in my life. For that, I am extremely grateful. But I never could have imagined the biggest change that would take place.
After I joined, I started to watch the people on my team. For the most part, people were really happy. Not just with their business, but with their life in general. I noticed that the people who succeeded and the people who were genuinely happy all had one thing in common: POSITIVITY. They didn't let bad days get them down. They didn't listen to the haters and the negativity. They believed in themselves. They started each day with a positive attitude. That seemed to make all the difference.
So. One month ago, after watching everyone else for a month and learning from their example, I started to fill my life with positivity. I started to post motivational and inspiration quotes on Instagram/Facebook nearly every day. I wanted to help other people. I knew that there were going to be times when people wouldn't have a single positive thought throughout their day. It had happened to me. And I wanted to change that. If my quote for that day helped even one person, it was worth it. I didn't even realize the effect it would have on me, until recently.
My life has been influenced greatly by the positive quotes and images that I have found. I search for a few minutes every day and find more quotes to add to my folder. Those few minutes every day have changed my life for the better. Surround yourself with positive words! Everyday I am so impressed by the change it has made in my life. Just a few positive thoughts can change everything!
Then, there are people. There are negative people... I was one of them. If you're someone who isn't stuck in a negativity rut, do what you can to be just a little bit of positive in their life. You never know the influence you could have.
That being said, you have to be selfish sometimes. Sometimes, you have to worry about YOU. It can be easy to get caught up in trying to help others be happy. It's not a bad thing to want to help! But it's also possible to drown in the negativity. Learn yourself. Learn the people you interact with. Learn which people are having a positive impact on your life. Learn which people you can only handle in small doses. It's OKAY. It's okay to need a break.
You have to take care of yourself... surround yourself with positive people who are going to lift you up! You don't have to abandon the other people in your life, the ones who might be having a harder time, but you have to be able to maintain a balance. You can't help anyone if you're not taking care of yourself first.
I hope this all made sense... it kind of feels like word vomit now that I think about it.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is: positivity can change your life. Do everything you can to make that change! :)
Thank you to all of those wonderful, positive people in my life! You've made a huge difference!!
