I have been thinking about this a lot lately.....We cannot let people control our emotions. People will always say and do hurtful things, whether it is intentional or not, but we cannot let it affect our quality of life. Wise words from my high school principal, "Make it a great day or not, that choice is yours." ....and he was right .

It is completely up to us whether we want to brush it off, move forward, and enjoy the rest of our day. Whether someone is being rude to you for no apparent reason, or you are dealing with people from the past / attempting to let go of those people.....you can smile and move on or not.

There are people we hold onto way longer than we should. We feel like there is a part of us that still needs them around or we are too scared to imagine what life without them would feel like. While I understand "people can change", don't hold your breath, especially for people who only bring you down. Respect yourself - no one has the right to treat you badly. Love yourself enough to know when you deserve better.

Part of controlling your emotions is not suppressing it. Recognizing how certain situations and people make you feel and reacting mindfully means you are self-aware. If you are angry and want to say something out of spite, hold your tongue and be honest with yourself - is this person truly deserving of whatever you are about to say or is it your anger taking over?

Another part of controlling your emotions is having empathy. When a friend calls me crying or upset, I can't help but cry too sometimes....I tell myself, girl get it together, because sometimes I empathize a little too much when I need to be strong for my friends.

You cannot always control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude. Our time is so precious...how often do we wish for more hours in the day? I know I do....and if I waste part of my day hung up on someone or something, then I'm not doing myself any favors.

We live in a country where we have the freedom to speak our minds, choose our religion, wear what we want, AND we have the power to spread love and happiness to one another, free of judgment and free of hate. So, let's just do it! :)

<3 Jules