Written by contributing blogger, Sonia Sahota.

I woke up this morning with a jolt of energy to start my day because I realized it’s my last full week of living in the heart of Boston. I realized how much love and pure happiness I have for this city. So much has happened since I moved to Boston six year ago. I’ve hit milestones and made life-changing decisions that involved my family, friends and my career.

One of the most important things I’ve learned within the past year is how to take away something positive from any situation. There have been moments where a very close friend forgot she promised to attend an event that we had planned five months ago, or when I made a slight mistake editing a presentation and my colleague only honed in on the negative. What about that moment when my roommate continued to hold a grudge from a silly argument that we had years ago when we both knew we were in the wrong…. Whether these situations were big or small, they all held negative and positive sides.

After years of overthinking situations and wondering what if, I decided I didn’t want to feel disappointed or unhappy. Even though I couldn’t completely wipe away these unwanted feelings, I knew I could focus most of my attention on something else and that was the positive outlook on each situation. I realized I could choose to overthink the negative or embrace the positive.

I decided to make an effort of embracing this mindset within small and more significant instances. A few weeks ago, I ordered a pink dress for a summer pink-themed event. The dress arrived in the mail a day before the event. I was filled with excitement since it was perfect timing. After opening the box and unraveling the ribbon, I come to find out that the boutique had shipped an army green dress. Unfortunately, I didn’t own any pink dresses.. so there went my back-up option…. I looked at my watch and it was almost at closing hour for most stores. At this moment, I chose to think of the positive side to this situation. I thought to myself that I could return the dress and save the hundred dollars and put it towards something more useful. Thankfully, I texted a few friends and one of them had a dress in my size they could loan. Allowing myself to take a second and not get frustrated, I was able to evaluate the pros and realized they outweighed the cons. I was a thousand times happier than I would have been if I allowed myself to feel upset. In the past, I would have sent an angry email to the boutique. I’m thankful that I learned how to shift my perspective and allow the positive sides of a situation be my focal point.

…I’m not saying it’s easy but it’s possible to embrace a better outlook on life and that’s a damn good feeling.

#radiatedaily

image source – pixabay