My elementary school memories revolve around A Cinderella Story, which, of course, was my favorite movie like every other girl from ages 8 to 15.
I never really thought about the little pieces of wisdom it contained — I was far more focused on how dreamy Chad Michael Murray and Hilary Duff were on screen together. But on one particularly stressful day, I found myself thinking back to one of the main quotes from the movie, “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”
This is a reminder of how your fears shouldn’t control you. In the movie, Sam faced her fears with an optimistic attitude even when everything seemed to be going wrong. That being said, I think it’s important that everyone do the same.
I’d classify myself as a pretty upbeat person. Of course, like everyone, I have my off-days when I’m overwhelmed, but I believe greeting life with an unparalleled sense of optimism is crucial. It’s not always easy, but when are the things ever easy?
I’ve found people assume you’re incredibly naïve if you’re optimistic. It astounds me at how jaded and cynical my peers are becoming when it comes to their outlook on the world. There’s so much left to experience. It seems to be a distinction of this culture, dissatisfaction, and it’s pretty disheartening if you ask me. Life is filled with little bumps in the road — failing a quiz, car trouble, cracking the screen of a new phone — but this generation needs to learn the difference between inconvenience and adversity.
When I take a moment to pause and acknowledge everything in my life, I’m overwhelmed with a genuine gratitude. I know, you’re probably thinking this girl has no idea what struggles are. But that’s the thing, you have no idea. You can assume whatever you want about a person, but your assumptions won’t necessarily align with his or her reality. Everyone has his or her own fears that no one knows about, so make a conscious effort to be kind. Don’t judge others; there could be deeper worries distracting them.
Although I do vouch for optimism, I think it’s also important to allow yourself to feel everything. Exteriors toughen as people get older, and I know I don’t want that to be me. If I need to be sad, let it be. You can’t be complete if you don’t experience all kinds of emotions – happiness, sadness, fear and bravery.
Whatever it is you may be going through, it’ll work out. Take the time to feel frazzled, talk it out, and take it from there. Remember Sam (Duff) in the locker room promising Austin (Murray) that in spite of everything, it was going to work out because she believed in herself.
Vulnerability is what keeps us honest. There’s a difference between having a bad week and a bad attitude. People that impress me most are those who are able to acknowledge their hardships as just that, hardships. They don’t let something so trivial define them. You are not where you come from; you are what you want to be.