Attitude Formation

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Attitude Formation

(Written by Carli Lemelin)

Have you ever sat down and envisioned the perfect day, in which everything you did and every decision you made was solely to make yourself happy? There are so many elements that could go into play.

Food. Would you eat a quaint salad for dinner to make your body happy or a large plate of greasy, cheesy, gooey nachos that your brain screams “yes” to right away?
Relaxing. Would you wind the day down at a party with your very closest friends? Perhaps you’re lounging in a bubbled Jacuzzi with the lights dimmed and your favorite book in hand? Or maybe watching the sunset at the top of a hike overlooking a valley you’ve never seen before?
Travel. Would you walk down the road to your favorite local restaurant for brunch or hop in the fastest sports car on the market and fly down the highway?

I’m not sure what you’re thinking right now, but a smile comes to my face when I entertain the idea of infinite happiness for 24 hours straight. Maybe it’s alone time to yourself, time in your thoughts or time with your favorite people in life doing what makes you the very happiest.

Okay, so a full 24 hours might be unrealistic, but let’s break it down a little bit. Just one hour of your day, half an hour, 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes doing whatever you want to do that you know for a fact will make you happy. With life’s rigorous demands of working, paying the bills, or attempting to stay healthy just to name a few, finding time to be completely happy has become so underrated.

I get it. Life is hectic.

As a college student, college is hectic. Shoot, just the thought of graduating and taking on the real world… totally overwhelming. But I’m at ease when I know that it is totally okay to take a step back, slow things down, and spend a couple of minutes in thought knowing that I am completely in charge of my own happiness.

My grades, my friends, my family, my future it is all dependent on me and the choices I make that I know will make me happy with myself at the end of the day. At least once a day I catch myself surveying the world around me and wondering why people do the things they do.

Why do people make the choices they make and why do they choose to be with certain people over others?

The answer is simple: it makes them happy. With this ultimate goal in mind you have the power to change your thoughts and this alone can change your whole perspective on life. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a “wake up and fix your life” type of situation, it’s a journey with sharp turns, u-turns, slamming breaks, and stand still traffic at some points. But if you take pride in the journey and spend each and every day at least entertaining the idea of doing something good for you, something that will make you happy—you really can change your world.

In my short two years at James Madison University, I have found that the beautiful thing about being a college student is that you have four years (eh okay, maybe five—or eight, depending on your career of choice) to become exactly who you want to be.

For you, maybe that’s racing down the freeway to work to earn money that will support a family you’ve made for yourself. If this is finding your own happiness, go for it. It presents itself in all different ways. Personally, I could be lying on the floor of my dorm room recapping how the day played out with my suitemates at midnight.

I find happiness in forming close relationships with my friends and sharing life with them.

Some days it’s in the form of studying and praying to God for a passing grade. In this case I can find happiness in knowing that if I pass I will continue to chase my dream of wanting to help others every day as a nurse.

Realize that regardless of where you are in life, when you read this article, know one thing… if you’re lucky enough to spend one hundred years on this incredible earth make sure that every day counts. It’s your life, it’s your call, and the world is yours for the taking.

After you read this article by a random girl at a random school in a very random valley in Virginia, I hope you shut down your computer at the end of the day and envision what it is like for you to be completely happy. Collect your thoughts, make a plan of action, act on it, take your life in the palm of your hand, and make it the very happiest it can be.

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Attitude Formation

(Written by Carli Lemelin)

I get it. Life is hectic.

Why do people make the choices they make and why do they choose to be with certain people over others?

I find happiness in forming close relationships with my friends and sharing life with them.

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