The other day, one of my co-workers came up to me and asked, “Hey, how’s your day going?” to which I replied, “It’s going really good actually! Yours?”

She paused for a moment, making me think she was about to tell me about a horrific experience she’d had with a customer earlier (or something along those lines). Instead, she goes, “I love how you’re genuinely happy whenever you answer that question. Most people just go ‘good’ like they have got nothing in life to be remotely excited about.”

I was flattered by her compliment, but also taken aback. It’s interesting how we go through most of life not seeing how we appear to those around us.

We do not realize the impact we have on people until they come up to us and utter that sentence we needed to hear.

Let’s be real: I am a busy woman, working 25-30 hours a week, managing a team of 25+ bad-ass content creators, going to school full-time, trying to become my own version of the girl bosses I truly admire. It’s exhausting. But let me tell you, it is worth it.

The reason I wake up every morning is that I know at some point during the day, I am going to get to do something I love. I find myself struggling to wake up on time for onboarding calls, rushing to meet my incredible mentor, giving advice to my friend as I try to finish a project that is worth almost half my grade, the list becomes never-ending. Other days I consider the fact that I got to eat breakfast a miracle. It’s just a matter of balance.

SEE ALSO: For The Girls Who Are Always Busy

I am in a good mood when things are going wrong because I know that in the end, they always work out. What a cliche, right? But it’s true. Never lose sight of the big picture and keep yourself busy with the things that you love; it’ll give you less time to focus on the things that you don’t love so much.

If people make fun of you for getting excited about the little things, let them.

There is a really good chance that they are unhappy and wish that they could share the same spirit as you.

The underlying reason people may be shocked that you are always in a “good mood” is that they are settling. They are choosing to be in a bitter mood. They are probably settling in other aspects of their life too, whether it be their relationships, their career, etc. Their dreams don’t scare them enough, and they are comfortable all the damn time.

Learn to get comfortable being uncomfortable and your whole perception of life will change.

I am positive there are some of you out there reading this thinking, “There is no way you are always in a good mood because we are all human, after all.” You may be right, I still vent to my close family and friends about my issues and have those sleepless nights where I question everything that I’ve ever done.

In order to be in a good mood, you have to get rid of this negativity that has built up in your brain. You have to recognize the problems, but you absolutely cannot lose control. Especially when those problems arise from things that are out of your control, anyway.

As far as how I present myself to the rest of the world, I try my best to be in a good mood as often as possible. I know that the person sitting next to me in class is going through a lot of shit, too, so why not just ask them how their day is going? I know that this customer is really upset about us being out of stock of a certain sweater, so why not sympathize with her? Even if things end badly, at least you tried to shine a light into someone’s life and the Universe will recognize that and reward you for it.