Many people tell me I'm generally a happy, positive, and kind person. They tell me I smile often and look at the brighter side of things. They tell me that even when I'm upset or stressed, I'm still composed to an extent.
The way I look at it, there's no other way to be.
I believe that happiness and kindness are choices no matter who you are or what you're going through. That statement probably would get a lot of people riled up because Holly, you're seriously telling me that people who are being abused should be happy? You don't honestly believe that someone who just lost their family shouldn't be sad. Depression is a real thing--are you saying mentally ill people are CHOOSING to not be happy?! To which I say no, no, and no. I don't believe you're ALWAYS supposed to be happy. That is not realistic nor healthy. I struggle with mental illness so by no means am I trying to imply that people are choosing to be ill! But let's step away from the extremes for a hot second and think about this:
Everyone is going through something. Every person on this planet has their own set of struggles, is going through a rough patch, has something that is causing them distress. My life isn't perfect. I'm never 100% okay. I struggle with mental, physical, emotional, and everyday issues that give me excuse to not smile. But when I take a step back to evaluate things, there's always a way the situation could be worse. And then I smile because I have something to be grateful for. And when I smile, I feel better. When I think about the wonderful things in my life, I am happy.
I can always find something to be happy about and I believe everyone can too.
I'm grateful about so many aspects of my life and every time I think about them, I am happy. I'm happy that I have a great boss. I'm happy when the sun peaks through the clouds. I'm happy when I have food to eat. I'm happy when I discover a new favorite book. I'm happy I have the resources to see (glasses). I'm happy I have the capability to go to school on scholarship. I'm happy there are people in my life who I can laugh with, who I love, who help keep me standing when I cannot carry my own weight. And I'm happy about so. much. more.
When I am happy, I'm able to extend it to others. But it doesn't stop there. When I focus on the bright side, I literally see the people and world around me differently. I'm able to tune in on people and appreciate their special, incredible qualities. I'm able to see all the things that make this world wonderful and then try to expand upon them to make this world a better place. I wouldn't notice these aspects about the people and world around me if I didn't open my mind and attitude to them. By focusing on the good in life, I've managed to change my perspective, my attitude, my thoughts, and my actions so I can continue to spread the good.
I believe happiness and kindness go hand in hand. I believe that anyone can be happy and anyone can show kindness if only we change our perspectives. Happiness stems from gaining perspective on the matters we go through and when we choose to focus on the positive, we are choosing to be happy. When we are happy, we have even more reason and the capability to share the kindness of our hearts with others.
