Last Lecture

I have had to always manage my mental health. Many don't know my story, but know who I am through my work at Washburn. They might be shocked to know what I've survived. But likewise, many are at Washburn who have yet to face a lot of cruelty, hard decisions, things they might have never known they would need to face. I read an article about how optimism helps with resiliency, and that fits my story well. Maybe my smile was developed to hide my pain when I could, or to go through the motions that everything is okay. I can say it is genuine today, but it took a lot of hard work, a lot of breaking my own stigmas about myself placed there by others and me. So do it, develop an optimism that is contagious. Even if it feels fake, it won't take long to feel the benefits, that the best response to negative forces is to reflect and stay optimistic. It is one of the few things one has control of in their life.