I’m often told that I have a very positive outlook in life.

The dark side

That initially jarred against my self-impression. Negativity made up a big part of my life growing up. I was the angsty kid that felt that the world was out to get me. I was unlucky. Life treated me unfairly.

I believe my negativity pushed several good friends out of my life. Why would anyone want to stick with someone who is always sighing and draining their energies?

There was no sudden change that turned the way I look at life. No epiphany. No life-changing events. I was numbed. Bad things kept happening and I became so desensitised that I just took them as they came.

Change your perspective

Instead of looking at the negative side of things, I started to appreciate the silver linings. No matter how bad things were, I could always see the blessings when I looked back. Instead of only noticing them when I looked back, I tried to look for them in the present.

Little did I know I started down the path of stoicism. I have come to expect the worst scenario in everything and when they do happen, I’m already prepared for them. Some people think I simply don’t care, hence I’m not affected by the negatives. The fact is, I care but I don’t let the bad things hold me back.

Everything in life happens for a reason. There is no point dwelling on them. Make the best of the hand that life deals you. Knowing what you want in life helps you to shrug off the hard tackles of life, and let you continue going forth towards your goals.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Ultimately, you need to ask yourself what’s the worst that could happen? If you are prepared for the worst, whatever happens won’t faze you. When things don’t turn out as bad as you expected, you see it as a positive. Very often, the real enemy is our own expectations rather than the outcome.

The more you persevere, the luckier you get.

Keep trying. Keep failing. Fail faster. Fail better.