My Key to Happiness

On Monday, June 21st, we visited the Riverside school. Everyone there was extremely kind and it was very sweet how three 6th graders gave us a tour of the school. After the sweaty but fun tour, we were guided into a room that had air-conditioning. How relieving! Here we sat on the smooth floor and met five excited Riverside alumni.

I was really surprised when they asked us “What is your superpower?” at the beginning of their presentation on ‘Design For Change’. Looking around, I noticed that the other Niswarth students were also a little bit confused by the question. Didn’t people usually ask, “If you could have any superpower, which one would you choose?” Curious of what the question “What is your superpower?” would lead to, I carefully reflected on my personality and talents, and then claimed that one of my superpowers was being my own best friend. Most people don’t like being by themselves, but instead, I enjoy being alone just as much as I love spending time with others. I call these moments ‘Isa time’. I cherish these every time because those are the moments when I can be myself. I remove the mask that is always glued on my face while in public and stop caring about what others think. I make fun of myself, act all goofy and make myself laugh, all out loud but most importantly, with love. These voices inside of me are so strong and influential that they can even console and make me happy in the darkest days. ‘Isa time’ might be a little bit weird, but definitely worth it. I feel like these moments are necessary for my mental well being as the world can be too chaotic at times and because I always feel like the shining sun on a summer day after each “session”. I am my own medicine.

In the last paragraph, I have described being my own best friend using the words ‘I can’ often. Coincidently, this was related to the message that the alumni were going to share with us. The most important power is … the I CAN superpower! Believing in one self’s ability is necessary for success, and most importantly, happiness. I remember last August being really insecure about myself and feeling not worthy for certain things. This lead to me feeling really sad and frustrated, which affected my ability to do certain things. Reflecting on this quote and on my own ways of thinking, I am sure that I need to change my mindset and now have a clue on how to do so. I simply have to think more positively and not mentally beat myself up when things do not work out the way desired. As sometimes it will be hard to stick with this mentality, I think that ‘Isa time’ could be helpful in the future while I go through this ‘I CAN’ and Niswarth trip personality transition.

 I can do this. I can do that. I can do everything. ‘I CAN’ is my new motto!

--Isabella