“Look at every situation with the expectation to make it work or make it better.”

“You can’t live a positive life with a negative mind.”

“Train your mind to see the good in every situation”

“Have courage and be kind”

“A teachable heart, a willing spirit, a bendable will, a loving attitude- this is a woman guided by God.”

♥

These are all quotes that I have in my office. If you’ve been to my humble abode, you know that I have quotes scattered throughout my entire home. To some, it may seem a bit obnoxious having some kind of motivational or inspirational quote smacking you in the face at every turn. However, to me, it’s 100% necessary.

You see, I wasted a large portion of my life being swallowed up by negativity. I wallowed in self-pity that was largely exaggerated in my own mind. I found comfort in pessimism. I was at home with loneliness. And the most insane part of it all, I brought it upon myself…

Because, I had a great childhood. I was blessed with many friends, a loving and supportive family, and I never really went without. It was stable. It was normal. There was no drama or traumatic event that plagued the rest of my life, but yet, when I became a teenager, I just decided to be chronically upset about…well, pretty much everything.

Throughout high school, I remember participating in activities, going to dances, attending games…but my poor attitude left me feeling perpetually left out. The only way I can describe it is that, I was there, but not really present. I showed up, because I felt I had to, but I never really experienced the experience. Does that make sense?

It wasn’t until I met a very important person in my life that my attitude received a much needed adjustment.

He thoroughly, unashamedly, enjoyed pursing life. He laughed with pure exhilaration at each new bump in the road. He smiled with delight and smiled with sadness, because he believed in the idea of hope and renewal.

The ‘he’ I’m referring to, is of course, my husband.

Robert came into my life like a freaking hurricane. He basically just wreaked havoc on my mind because he was the polar opposite of myself. Where I saw disappear, he saw a new beginning. Where I saw a closed door, he saw an opportunity to do a sweet karate kick and bust right through it. Dating him was an adrenaline rush. Falling in love with him was a life changer.

Now, I’m not saying that I instantly became the most positive, uplifting person on earth that never experienced gloom again. But I am saying he showed me a new way to look at the same picture. He helped me see life through stain glass windows, instead of the gritty, broken window I had fixed my gaze upon.

I can’t explain how he did it. I don’t know why his simple presence made such an impact. But it did. Meeting him forced me to reevaluate my approach. To realign my thinking. To realize how incredibly blissful life can be when you stop focusing all your energy on the bad and start focusing on how to make it good.

So I keep the quotes up. All over the place. As reminders to never go back to that dark dwelling. To never surrender to negativity. To always be grateful for what God has brought into my life. Because that is what Robert has taught me and that’s what I hope to never forget. ♥