Mid-August is approaching which means it’s time for school again, but school doesn’t have to be as dreadful as it’s made out to be. There are so many ways in which you can maintain a positive attitude throughout the school year, ultimately making it a positive year.

In the past, I haven’t always been the most positive person but that’s no way to live. There’s so much positivity not only in your own life to enjoy but also in the world. Rather than fixating on the negative, try to shift your focus to the positive.

Start or end your day with three things you appreciate and are grateful for in your life or even in day-to-day encounters. They can be little things as long as they are things that positively influenced your life. It can honestly be as simple as “That lady at the store complimented my shoes today.” Something so simple but yet a blip of positivity added to your day.

Besides noting what you are grateful for, the positivity needs to be carried with you into the school environment. With school comes the work behind it and I understand how hard it can be to maintain high-energy with this type of work but make sure you do it. Stay on top of your school work, stay organized and focused because, in the long run, it’s going to be helpful for your clarity and for your GPA. Therefore when finals come around you’ve been doing your work, studying is less stressful, and your grade is already in a pretty stable position.

It’s definitely hard to have the motivation to do work when friends and your phone are right there. It is super important to surround yourself with people that have the same goals as you and are driven to do well too; that way you can motivate each other and do homework while together. As for your phone, keep it out of sight when doing school work. Out of sight out of mind.

Granted only the first week of school has passed so everyone is still somewhat in their summer mode, try to maintain that positivity and happiness you found in the summer. Overall, stay motivated, stay grateful, but also stay humble.