It is pretty easy to get caught up in negative things, but instead of dwelling on them we should try to be the positivity we always say we want, rather than just talking about it and not doing anything to make it happen.

Often times, we go around saying we hate negativity and people who exude it, yet we still seem to surround ourselves with those kinds of people. Even so, those of us who claim we dislike that kind of behavior can act that exact same way, too.

Imagine a time when you’ve spoken badly about someone or even attempted to get back at someone who wronged you. You may believe you are demonstrating fairness, but you are actually just stooping to their level. In fact, demonstrating such behavior can even appear hypocritical if you claim to avoid negativity in your life. I am sure we have all probably fallen into this kind of thing.

It is a pretty straightforward concept: If you act and think optimistically, you will generally be happier than those who go through their lives with a cynical attitude. With that in mind, we should not be surrounding ourselves with people who exhibit melancholy behavior.

There’s not much we can do to prevent others from being negative, but we can certainly change our perspectives. Doing that is easier said than done, of course, but it certainly isn’t the hardest thing to do.

The simple answer is if you find yourself surrounded by negativity, the only way to truly eliminate it is to ignore it and introduce a brighter attitude on your own. Why waste your time in a group of friends who only bring you down?

While being positive in life is good in itself, it can also directly help improve your life as well as the lives of those around you. You can do so much better by allowing yourself to flourish mentally and socially by thinking and acting optimistically. That way, everything you put effort into, like classes, work and your social life, will be able to run much more smoothly. We all deserve that.

“I’m not really a negative person to begin with, because I feel that being one only shows how miserable you are,” said junior geography major Mariah Clifford.

What Clifford said reinstates the notion negativity is a reflection of yourself and your happiness. Expressing pessimistic energy to those around you does not only bring on more of it, but it perpetuates the very behavior we all wish to avoid. Positivity can only attract positivity, and negativity is the same way.

No one on this planet is perfect, and as young adults we are bound to make mistakes. It’s just a part of growing up. But most importantly, we must take those mistakes and mold them into learning experiences.

If we want to live our lives happily we have to eliminate all the things that will hinder it. That means making positive decisions and surrounding yourself with the same type of people and escaping from hypocritical tendencies.