I used to wonder why people would leave me after a month or two of ‘friendship’, but now I understand why they would leave.

I asked someone today how they viewed me as a person a year ago; this is the reply I got:

"You were horrible to be around because you didn't smile because your life was ‘harder than everyone else’s life’. You were negative ALL THE TIME and tried so hard to be someone you weren't. You NEVER had anything positive to say about anything and that negative energy started bringing people around you down with you. You DIDN'T WANT TO LISTEN to anyone if they tried to help you, you pushed people away. It was very hard trying to connect with you and laugh with you because you always had negative energy and never saw the light in your dark days."

Who would want to be friends with someone like that?!

Now after a year of changing my mindset, I have been told this:

After a long road, you are stronger, BEING WHO YOU ARE, LOVING LIFE, kicking it in the ass like a bad ass, you are ALWAYS SMILING and you never fail to make me laugh. You now ALWAYS LOOK AT THE POSITIVE SIDE of things.

It’s not easy to change, but this is what worked for me...

Start thinking positive

Listen to people when they try helping you!!!

Be yourself and the right people will love you for you. Don’t try change to get people to like you because you might end up hating who you become.

DON’T say “I can't” – I used to say that all the time. Now I say “I will” because it will take time to change something and it is something that I can do.

Start believing that every bad situation you face in life is there to teach you something. – A horrible thing I faced that broke me was when one of my friends passed away last year. She was only 18 and that made me angry. Her passing away at such a young age taught me that life is a gift and we should do what we love and be grateful that we are alive to do what we love.

I am someone who used to let my emotions control me so I used to try to block them out and bottle everything up. I learned that you need to feel those emotions to actually get over them. I now sit in my emotions and let them hurt me because they hurt much less than if I bottle them up.

I would live every day thinking about the past or stressing about the future. Recently I started living in the NOW and focusing on where my feet are and since the day I started doing that people have told me to stop being so happy and being so positive. Man, I loved it when I was told that.

I read one of the blogs from a week ago, “This is my why...” – man this blog helped my mornings. I used to do the same thing... press that snooze button at least 3 times before I got up, I’ve tried that morning routine mentioned and I have found that I wake up way more energetic, motivated and happier. I love it! Definitely, something everyone should try.

Write down goals for the day or for the week.

Be grateful. – I feel like this is the most important thing, it makes you realise how much you actually have. I write down just 3 things I am grateful for every morning and it makes my day better because I start my day thinking about good things that I have in my life.