ROLLER COASTERS BY ELIZABETH SMITH

When we are confronted with difficult moments, we have a tendency to become resentful. We complain about our latest exam grade, blame other people when things don't go the “right” way, and hate when we have to sit still and do nothing for a few weeks.

All of these moments, however, are opportunities to switch your perspective and grow. Over the last year, I went through some of the most difficult moments of my life. I started out how everyone would have, seeing things through one lense and hating every moment of it. My emotional roller coaster wasn’t very fun, and went like this: loops of anger, a track built from resentment, and stomach-sinking drops of guilt. Then I switched to a new perspective, and suddenly I was on a new ride, one designed with introspection inversions, corkscrews of acceptance, and mountains of growth.

The first ride scared me. I didn’t even know I was on it until I saw my actions and emotions from a new angle. My life was stuck upside down on one track, and it was making me sick. I knew I needed to get off. Once I made a choice to switch my perspective, my whole world changed. I realized that the situation I was in was a chance to grow, and if I stayed on my track of resentment, I would become a bitter person.

So, I jumped tracks and got on a new ride.

Perspective is everything. When it’s easy to sit still, complain, or blame other people, you’re riding the wrong ride. It’s time to switch coasters and see things from a new angle. It’s time to grow.