Life is a Beautiful Gift - a poem
Life is a Beautiful Gift
Life is a beautiful gift
I've learned to look at the happiness in life
I've learned to enjoy this happiness that is found in life
For so many years I would only focus on the negative, the "what ifs", the regrets, and flaws that I saw in myself
The realization of looking at the good in life and in myself has caused me to see the beauty in life
Dwelling on my past mistakes didn't and doesn't get me anywhere
Living with a negative mindset filled with "what ifs" prevented me from moving forward
Instead of living in the present and looking forward to the future,
I would find myself dwelling and living in my past
This negative, past-dwelling mindset took over my life and prevented personal growth
People would see growth on the outside
But on the inside, I saw the same negative person
I thought I would always be this way
I thought I could never escape this mindset
Self-criticism destroyed me
The hatred I had of myself sent me down a heartbreaking path
Once I began to replace this hatred of myself with love of myself,
I was able to see the beauty in life
Everyone has their own journey
Everyone experiences their own heartbreaks
Everyone lives with their own hardships
But I am grateful and thankful that I hit a point in my life where I experienced enough heartbreak and pain to switch my mindset
I hit a point where I finally realized that living with my negative mindset did more harm than good;
For me and for those around me
Life is a beautiful gift
This personal choice to love myself and to replace my negative mindset with a positive mindset has given me the ability to see and experience the beauty in life
I'm not perfect
And I never will be
But at least now I can enjoy life
And live my life to the fullest
And now I can see my life as the beautiful gift that it is
-Nick Wolf 10/21/2013