In ancient Egypt, after a person died and their souls were about to be sent to heaven, they were asked two questions: “Have you found joy in your life?” and “Has your life brought joy to others?” After learning about this from the movie “The Bucket List,” the idea stuck in my mind, and I questioned myself whether my answers to both of these questions would be a definite yes.

Negative vibes are spread all around me on a daily basis, and as people act in pessimistic ways, their days go by miserably slow. As a result of my observations, I started to let others know that they must find a way to remain positive.

Each day, I look back and evaluate the choices I made, and how it influenced me to act. Bad days happen to the best of us, however, our optimism should outshine the pessimistic attitudes that are presented in most situations.

The way I see the two questions should not be thought of only once during your lifetime. This could be a daily routine you can accommodate. For me, this has become second nature; half way through my day, I evaluate what I am doing wrong, and what I am doing right. And according to an article on MayoClinic.com, positive thoughts help you reduce stress, enjoy life more, and even boost your self-esteem.

If something as small as thinking in a certain way would have such a vast effect, why do we continue to frown and think so negatively? Instead, we should see ourselves as bigger, better beings. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; we should embrace that as opposed to use it against ourselves.