What is positivity? Does it exist only in the mind or is it demonstrated in one’s actions? Through my experience in my sport, career, and life, it is apparent that positivity is an all-encompassing asset that touches all facets of one’s life, manifesting in both mindset and actions.

Positivity is a way of life especially tailored to competitive sports. At the beginning of each season, every team thinks they have what it takes to win it all – although only one will complete the task. In my sport, swimming, positivity is a vital tool to keep pushing, especially when it gets tough. I arrived for my freshmen season competing for The University of Texas with wonder in my eyes and lofty goals, but the season had other plans in mind. After NCAAs, when the team fell short of its goals and I performed far below my potential the entire season, I reached a crossroads where I could wallow in sorrow or choose to view this as an opportunity to improve. Through the choice to view setbacks as a chance to become a better competitor, I achieved improvements in competition and greater fulfillment in my sport. This story outlines a great lesson: positivity is a choice.

Out of competition, positivity is equally important because it frames each day as a chance to do something great, an approach that is vital to my success in my academics and career; however, it is not enough to think good thoughts, they must be acted upon. In the Fall of 2023, I was told that I would have an internship for the following summer at a top consulting firm. Right before school let out for the summer and I started my internship, the company informed me that the opportunity was no longer an option, and I was left with nothing. While the offer falling through was devastating at the time, it gave me the free time to launch a business journal with some friends and to prepare for interviews for jobs the following year. Positivity is not just the mindset of seeing an undesirable situation as a “glass half-full,” it is acting on those thoughts and creating success where others see none.

The saying “hindsight is 20/20” rings true in every stage and facet of my life. Thankfully, with positivity, I am glad to say the path that I have taken does not deviate much from where I “should” have gone. Positivity is both a mindset that allows one to see opportunity where others only see obstacles and a force of action to carry out tough challenges. A life with positivity takes advantage of options on the table and allows one not to worry about opportunities they have missed. In a life with so many choices – choose positivity.