This week I will be sharing a TED talk about a guy named Neil Pasricha. He talks about the simple things in life that can change your mood, and shares his perspective on how to have a happy life. During the video, try to think of some small things that can genuinely make you smile.
As I watch this video I thought about the little things that make me happy. Like when strangers hold open a door for you or you’re 32 cents over what you have to spend and the cashier acts like they didn’t see anything. Neil says the three “A’s of awesome” are attitude, awareness and authenticity.
What I took out of the section he talked about attitude is when he said “You can swirl and twirl and gloom and doom forever or you can grieve and then face the future.” I completely agree with him. Throughout my life I’ve had to deal with some rough times, but who hasn’t? Everyone has their own problems and everyone has their own ways of dealing with things, it’s just a lot easier to move on when you decide it’s time to move forward. Never forget the past, because the past is what makes you who you are, but don’t let it overwhelm you. Even if you’re going through a rough patch in your life, it’ll only be that way if you choose to stay there.
The second thing that truly impacted me is when he talked about being you. Everyone struggles with questions of “Who am I?” and “What is my purpose?” It’s a natural thing that everyone has to deal with. Nowadays peer pressure can change how kids see the world and they see themselves. Always be yourself, if people don’t like you for you then they aren’t worth it. True friends won’t make you change who you are and there is always going to be someone that’ll like you for you.
What are some ways you have been able to deal with difficult times? For Neil he used writing as an outlet, and for me I had a lot of support from my family growing up.
