You shape your reality.

In this life, I believe that one of the most integral and distinguishing elements between the average person and the outlier as well as leaders and those who influence change is their acute understanding of the power of intellection. Although there is a time and place for imagination when it comes to solving problems and resolving inner conflicts sometimes it takes the application of some strategic thinking, evaluate the problem and make a list of possible ways to solve it. Try your hardest to not examine it from within the lens of your own headspace think of it as if your best friend came to you for advice. Whatever issue you are having weather inside your own head or in your world almost no problem is without a solution. Learning how to change your thinking can impact your outer world in more ways than you could imagine.

For me, it's attempting to find ways to one day at a time correct my thinking from "it's impossible" to "I know I can do this and here's how I will" from personal experience I can testify to the fact that it's easier said than done, but if you build an action plan and constantly remind yourself why you are doing this I promise you will be grateful for yourself when you ultimately attain this belief. Personally, it started with an end goal, I recognized who and how I was at that current time and took small incremental steps towards who I wanted to be, I desired and more importantly needed to be someone who isn't trapped within the confines of my damaged psyche for my own good and the people who have to deal with me on a daily basis, and in order to do this, I had to focus more on myself as opposed to draining myself overextending my hand to others. In the past any task or goal I had set much like new years resolutions would be abandoned in no time, I would find an excuse as to why I couldn't do it or worse yet I would convince myself I had already achieved it. A few speed bumps later I can confidently say that I am at the least a few strides closer to attaining freedom from my own anxiety thanks to learning how to better overcome my emotions and reasoning.

If we alternatively applied our minds to not pass judgment on our own defects, we would have so much more disposable energy to be invested praising and loving ourselves for the positives within us. A lot of us receive so much critique from the outside world through school or our workplace as is, so it is genuinely not beneficial to add to that by passing that same judgement onto ourselves. Find things about yourself to love, or for some of us simply pay better attention when someone tells you about your qualities they love, instead of deflecting compliments. Take them reflect on them and try to build on those. Try telling yourself each morning "you are special and unique and I love you." if you do this daily ritual I promise it will help, sometimes we don't hear these things enough and there is no more opinion more significant than how we perceive ourselves.

Another immense thing to understand is that we are incapable of change if we aren't willing to put the work into at least trying, a gigantic thing I discovered from quitting smoking cigarettes and marijuana is that with willpower I was able to override my very chemical make up to a point where even though my body was physically and mentally addicted to this list of chemicals through truly desiring change and growth I was able to quit cold turkey. After over 10 years of smoking, I was convinced I was doomed to be a smoker until old age like most of my family and acquaintances. Keep in mind that just because somebody made the choice to not make that change doesn't mean we lack the capacity, the human mind is the most powerful tool we have at our disposal, some of us just refuse to learn how to utilize it. Instead, learn to master it and nothing is impossible.

Always try to keep in mind it is not self-centered to invest time in ourselves, if anything we exist in a social norm where it is a general thought stigma that those who care about themselves are self-absorbed or selfish but the truth is that our relationship with ourselves directly correlates into how we treat others. Learn how to love yourself and you will be able to exude and radiate a type of love we could all use a bit more of, and if we all practiced this at least to a degree we could positively influence the people closest to us and even if we can't convert them into a similar mode of thinking I'm 100% positive it will be a nice push in the right direction for them. And at the end of the day that is really the best we can do and when it comes to doing your best, do what you are capable of to the highest degree and that's all the universe can ask from you.

A good start to creating a positive environment is to shift your own perspective from beating yourself up for things we lack control over and instead to try to master managing the way you react to your surroundings which is something that we definitely with practice can positively impact, assess the things that are bothering you and if you are unable to come up with a solution, remember that there is nothing wrong with that. Some things take time to repair and some things simply are the way they are and despite stressing over them unfortunately, will remain unchanged. Especially people, In my lifetime and I'm sure yours as well, we will come to find out that a great majority of people cannot be changed or swayed from their ways unless they seek that same change. As the old proverb goes, you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink, in all honesty the best we can do is try to repair our own modes of thoughts and maintain it with diligent effort, it may take some time but as with anything time-consuming, it is most definitely worth our effort. And remember, you shape your reality.