By Ester Marsh

Let’s hope 2021 will be happy, healthy, prosperous and kind. But it’s all in the mindset isn’t it?

The year 2020 was absolutely a challenging year! And truth be told, we are not “out of the woods yet.”  However, we can dwell on all the negative experiences and get down and depressed or you can look at all the positive experiences that have happened. The dictionary states that “positivity” is the practice of being or tendency to be positive or optimistic in attitude.

As an optimist myself, it doesn’t just happen. I have to truly reflect and actively look for all the amazing things that are happening in my life. Remember the article, “We are in the same storm but not on the same vessel”?

Life isn’t fair and trials and tribulations are constantly under our noses. Among other things, it can be health, financial, emotional or spiritual-related.

So my challenge for 2021 is for you to write a list of all the positive things that happened in 2020 and all the negative challenges. Reflect, regroup and see if on the “negative” side you could have done things differently to make it more of a positive outcome.

Or moving forward is it something you can prevent by doing things differently? One thing I do know is that if you dwell on the past that’s where you end up living.

My go-to prayer is the serenity prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Give me the courage to change the things I can. And give me the wisdom to know the difference.”

So many things are out of our hands but so many things can be steered in a positive direction; you have to work at it.

So chin up, chest forward and back straight!

Take a deep breath and say I got this! This is going to be a great year!

Ester H. Marsh is health and fitness director of the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA.