Our minds are one of our most valuable and powerful tools we possess. That’s why it’s important to keep a good frame of mind. Whatever we think, we tend to believe. If we think positively, we’re uplifting ourselves to the possibilities in this life. If we think negatively, we endure the negative results of our actions.

There have been plenty of moments in my life where I’ve thought negatively and the outcomes were far worse.

As an example, when I first started working in retail, I loved everything about my job. The benefits were great, the discounts were amazing, I could show off my personal style, I met new people every day, and my coworkers made work more enjoyable. Once I started to settle into my new job, my mindset started to change. It became a routine: waking up at 6 a.m., rushing to beat the morning traffic, not wanting to deal with some of the rude customers that we’d encounter throughout the day, and standing for long periods of time. Sometimes I didn’t even get a chance to take a break when I needed it. By the time I got off work, I was tired, slightly irritated, and just wanted to sleep.

This became repetitive, and soon I started to feel sad and angry with my job. I looked at all the negatives, and my attitude each morning reflected that. As soon as my feet touched the floor, I would say, “I wish I didn’t have to go to work today.” I constantly prepared myself for the worst. This was a recurring theme in my life.

My mood and behavior rolled over into my personal life. I took my anger out on my family all because of what I was letting my job and mind do to me. I began to realize what what I was doing to myself and loved ones. I knew I had to be better, think better, act better, and treat everyone in my life better.

First, in order for me to heal my troubling thoughts, I decided to write down everything that I loved about my life. When I began to write, I remembered how beautiful my life truly is. I realized the many blessings I have, like a loving family, a beautiful home, great friends, and my creative abilities. Reading these uplifting words every day put my mind and soul at ease. I began to feed them with the love and nourishment they needed. Waking up every day for work was no longer a chore. I saw the beauty in my life because my mind was no longer clouded by negativity.

Second, I took time out every morning to spend alone in silence preparing myself for the day ahead. I would repeat these sentences in my mind: “You are beautiful. You are strong. You are blessed. You are loved. You are creative. You are phenomenal. You are working towards your dreams.” Whenever my day got tough, I would say these powerful words to myself.

Lastly, if challenging situations occurred, I would take a better approach. Looking back, I realized I was putting myself in these particular moods because I didn’t have the right frame of mind. Instead of waking up angry, I should’ve been waking up with joy, feeling blessed that I have a job to go to. If I’m not happy with my environment, it’s my job to change it. Life can be so much better and well lived if our minds were focused on the right things. When our minds go to this dark place of negative talk about ourselves, we start to believe it. We begin to believe that our situations will never change. Usually it’s not the situation that needs fixing, it’s us. We need to start reprogramming our minds every day, filling it with positive and uplifting words.

Each morning is a blessing. It’s a chance to start a new. Look around you at all of the special things in your life. When you wake up, tell yourself, “Today will be a beautiful day.” Start speaking positive affirmations over your life. Once you start feeding your mind and soul with enlightenment, all that negative talk will soon fade away. You deserve all the best in this world, so start being the best in your mind, heart, and spirit. Life is not easy, but it’s up to us to stay positive through the storms.