You know how every year you look back and realize how much has changed in one year? Then you try and pin point what moments have led you to the life you are living now. It’s crazy to think about, right? Because what if at one specific moment, things went differently? How would your life be like now?

Every year I look back into my life and my life always changes drastically. Always. Every year something drastic happens and changes my life forever. I’m never surprised anymore, but the one thing I love about myself is that I never let it destroy me. I have learned in my life that everybody has the decision to react to a situation in any way they like. I refuse to let anything or anybody bring me down. That’s why I smile and laugh a lot. It’s not to hide the pain. It’s to move on from it. It opens new opportunities to grow. It helps me be the person I am.

Being this type of person has helped me through the difficulties I am facing now. Working and going to school full time is not easy, especially as a freshman in college. I am just tired all the time. It feels as if there are not enough hours in the day to do all the things I have to do. I started to get use to it though. Things seemed to get better because I refused to mope about it and just smile about the little things. Then recently I got kicked out of my house because my mother gave me an ultimatum: either I break things off with my boyfriend or I get kicked out of my house. I chose my boyfriend because I wasn’t going to allow her dislike for African Americans to be the reason we didn’t work out. I’m not going to lie it was painful and stressful. It still is, but I finally realized that I’m done letting it affect me negatively. It’s a new opportunity to grow and become stronger as a person. One door closes, two doors open.

That is what I love about myself. I know how to make negative situations positive and stay happy. It’s what everyone should learn to do. Be happy for reason. That’s my motto.