A few years ago, I was brainstorming ideas for a persuasive speech. I could have done the typical – gun control, abortion, global warming, etc. I wanted something that I could truly defend. I did a little research and decided to persuade my audience to be more optimistic. It’s better for your health, will allow you to do better in school, and it makes you a better you. As an optimist, you do realize that there are terrible things about there, but you choose to think that there will be positive outcomes from the negative. It’s different than being ignorant, because you would ignore the negatives altogether.

My mom watches Joel Osteen every Sunday morning. I’m not really sure why she does, or why I decide to watch it with her. This past Sunday’s sermon was interesting – it was titled “Be Glad Continually.” He quotes 1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Be happy in your faith, glad-hearted, continually and always.” It’s so simple – even during a severe rainstorm, the sun is hiding behind it shining so brightly just waiting to come out.

If you’re not willing to wait for it and accept that the hardships come with the positives, then you’ll never see the sunshine. He says, “When you lose your joy, you lose your strength.” Problems are inevitable in your life, so why dread them when they occur?

In my speech, one of my main points is when you begin thinking negatively, it takes time away from making the most of an awful situation. If you go to a test and you’re nervous and you tell yourself it’s going to be terrible, you don’t have the time to focus on the test. When you tell yourself that it’s going to be okay, then it will be just that. It’s cliché, and I know that, but the glass is half full.

Anyway, the point of this is that I’m starting to get stressed about this job situation. I’m not really happy with how these past four and a half months have gone, but I’m still optimistic. I know that there’s an opportunity hiding behind the storm clouds; I just need to take this time to really think through what I want to do – not just jump into the first thing that offers me a job. I’m still smiling, and I’m arranging my mind in the right direction. Let’s be hopeful for good things to come.