I’ve always known how to have a positive outlook on life and everything that it throws at me. If I’m having a bad day, then I ask myself how I can grow and learn from that negative day or experience. Bad things do not always have to have an unsatisfactory ending. I know people who doubt my happiness, wondering how I could be so optimistic all the time, but I don’t know how to be anything else but positive. Although it can be difficult to stay happy when others around me have a negative attitude, I always look at the positive side of everything.

My mom was the one who fostered my optimistic outlook. She would always tell me that anybody could grow from a negative experience. My mom is my biggest role model; she’s like my best friend. She always does her best to make my brother and I happy, even if she is having a bad day herself. My family means so much to me; they keep me sane and I can always find myself smiling around them, especially when I am with my mom. However, she has not always been as happy as she is now. My mom went through her fair share of hard times, but because of those struggles, she has become the person she is today. Her perseverance inspires me to be the person I am on a daily basis. I know others do not always have a strong foundation with their family, but it is the most important thing to me. We are able to enjoy one another’s company and always be honest about how we are feeling with one another.

When a friend is having a hard time at home or with another person, I remind them that they can always find a way to grow from this experience instead of letting it ruin their day. If they grow from this problem, then they will be mentally prepared in case it is to happen again. When people acknowledge that I am trying to help them it brings me happiness.

However, my true feelings are not always evident. I do not normally find myself getting upset, but there are things that irritate me and ruin my day in the snap of a finger, such as when someone degrades my family.  Hearing one of my brother’s friends even make a joke about him lights a fuse in my eyes. The smallest rude remark about my family can set me off because nobody has the right to talk about my family in any negative way.  

There are small things that make me happy though, one being my love for Spanish music. When I talk about the music that I love, it always brings a smile to my face and gets me excited. But, since I moved schools, it has been difficult to find people who enjoy what I love so much. Antioch is not as diverse as Grant. Before, I had so many people to share my music with, but now I feel almost embarrassed to talk about it.

One of my favorite things to do is to bowl. I’ve been bowling since the beginning of high school at Grant and I have continued pursuing my passion at Antioch. People often ask me in shock and confusion if I really am a part of the bowling team, as if I do not fit the type of person you have to be to bowl. The sport brings me a great deal of happiness and I know that no matter what others have to say about it, bowling will always be something I love deeply. It has brought me countless good memories and new friends that will be with me forever.

Change is not always for the better. A big change in life at such a sensitive, emotional and fragile time on top of being a teenager makes life’s changes even more difficult to handle. In this case, transferring schools as a junior in high school was very hard for me. At the beginning of the year, I seemed to always be consumed with sadness and drowning in my own tears. Adapting to my new life was very difficult and in no way a fun experience, but I have since found myself again and regained my bubbly and happy personality.

Being happy has never been a difficult task for me. Finding the positives in every situation, good or bad, all depends on how you look at the world and the problems life throws at you. No matter what happens, everyone can find their own happiness even in the smallest things if they look hard enough. When someone acknowledges that I am doing something for them or for someone else, it brings me happiness, although it might not bring happiness to others. Since I have realized that I can make others happy through my own actions, I try to be as positive as I can. The smallest things can make anyone smile.