“You always have the choice to be happy, learn to understand the bumps in the road, grow from them, and STAY POSITIVE.”
Life is tough, but so are you.
At the beginning of 2019, I told myself this would be my year. My year to shine, to grow and most importantly to love who I was. Heck, I was so motivated, I even started my own Self Care Club on campus! I made the decision to start the 100 days of happiness challenge for fun, but as the days passed, things got harder and life got messier.
Here are a couple of days from my challenge: good days and bad days.
Day 1: Getting Cava with my best friend!
Day 6: Had a good functional body workout inspired by @natacha.oceane (from instagram – highly recommend checking her out!!) and overcoming my fear of asking for help at the gym.
Day 21: Made a cute motivational wall next to my desk (in love with it!). Also the first day after recruitment week where I got to sleep in, clean my room, stock up on groceries, do laundry, eat good food and most importantly, RELAX!!
Day 39: Got my first tattoo and I am absolutely in love, best decision ever!!
Day 59: One of the worst days of my life and I cried all night, and it was so hard to find any happy things that happened, but I got fish tacos with my friend.
Day 62: Went to counseling for the first time ever, and it’s not something I like to tell people, but I was really proud of myself for going through with it.
Day 76: Super stressed with all my assignments so I’m happy I meal prepped (first time ever!!) and I’m loving it! Saves up so much time!
Day 83: Went to a business panel event where the guest speakers shared their experiences from college, life lessons and advice. Every time I go to panels, I always feel so much more inspired and motivated and in a good mood!
Day 89: Honestly, probably the happiest I’ve ever been this whole challenge. Wearing yellow puts me in such a good mood and we had a Her Campus Get With The Times event tonight and being around my team makes me so happy!
Day 98: Went out with some of my closest friends in my sorority and it was a good night that I hadn’t had in a while.
Day 100: Made a good breakfast and had a pretty chill day.
This challenge taught me that even on your absolute worst days, there is still a light at the end of the tunnel. A lot of the problems we go through now are temporary, and we shouldn’t dwell on the past too much. Focus on being present in the moment and learn to surround yourself with others that bring out the best in you.
Half way through the challenge, life started giving me a tough time. In college, you get thrown into a lot of situations where you’re not taught how to handle them. There have been countless nights where I’ve cried myself to sleep or questioned my self-worth. My biggest fears are that I’ll make a bad first impression, be constantly judged or that people won’t see the good in me. But, let’s face it. Not everyone is going to like you or see the good in you, and that was difficult for me to grasp.
In retrospect, I’m thankful for the life lessons this challenge has taught me. Things won’t always go as planned, but that’s life for you. Just remember, in 5-10 years, or maybe even 1 year, none of our temporary problems will matter. What will matter, however, is how you treat yourself and what you choose to feed your mind towards, because at the end of the day, YOU are the storyteller of your life. YOU get to decide your own values and self-worth.