Our lives are not controlled by the negative
What is sour? Oxford Dictionary defines sour as “(of people) not cheerful; unfriendly and unpleasant.” Merriam-Webster dictionary defines gratitude as: “the state of being grateful, thankfulness.” Many people fail to understand how gratitude can change a life and alter one’s perception for the good. A life without gratitude is often an unhappy, unfilled life. Putting a little gratitude in your daily life is a first-step to achieving many of your hopes, dreams and goals.
Whenever life knocks you down or if you don’t feel good enough do not beat yourself up. I say you should not beat yourself up because there are worse things happening in the world. There are some people who can’t afford basic necessities such as food, water and shelter. These three commodities are the most essential to survival. In first world societies we stress about minor things. We stress about materialism, social status, physical appearance or not getting a big paycheck. These things are superficial because we can lose them in a quick second. As they say, “count your blessings.”
It is important that we count our blessings because today we fail to recognize what we have right in front of us. Often times we take things for granted. What do I mean by that? We complain about things such as lacking social status, or not being the best in everything. When we complain, it reveals our ungrateful character. Instead of complaining about what we don’t have, we should be grateful that we are alive and have the ability to see because there are people in the world who are blind or don’t live long.
A main problem in modern society is the inability for people to differentiate between what they need and what they want. Our generation is caught up in owning the next best thing such as the latest phone, computer or car. Everyone is caught up in what they want and not what they have. This is what contributes to all the negativity that surrounds us. People act entitled because they want to look good rather than be themselves.
When I feel sour with life, I try my best to show gratitude. I compliment people, try to inspire, say “thank you” and I give whenever I have the time to do so. I do these things because I think these things are the true keys to life. Whenever I feel like I am doing something that is uplifting people, I feel good inside. Whenever I am sour I notice it causes more harm than good. From personal experience I lost essential people and connections because of my bad attitude. When you feel sour try your best to be kind to people. Being kind is a good distraction from bitterness and anger. If some people are being mean to you, walk away from them.
Lytiek Gethers is a third-year politics major who always looks on the bright side of life. They can be reached at [email protected].