As the college application season is approaching its end, I rub my face every day in horror and disbelief, staring at my mostly blank essay documents. However, I remind myself to stay positive, hoping to chase away the despair by thinking of how lucky I am to be able to have three meals a day, friends to talk to and parents who care about me.

I feel better when I know that I have things that some people yearn for and I appreciate the life I have been given. However, I still sigh in front of my computer while typing away about myself. I really don’t know as much about myself as I ought to, making the task much harder than I originally imagined it. I am aware of the strategy of “staying positive”, but this won’t solve my problem for me, even though my brain is supposed to be “31 percent more productive,” according to positive psychologist Shawn Achor’s TED talk. Whereas from the way I am, I can still improve my productivity beyond just being mentally positive.

Although help from a counselor or activities in class could be helpful to students, it is unrealistic to assist all MVHS students in the same way. Most of the time, students are going through the problems themselves. While putting happiness first is important, as social studies teacher Scott Victorine demonstrated by starting the class with students describing their happiness, the more helpful approach to assist students to overcome the problems is to reflect on the progress they have made and be proud of themselves.

When I gave up on simply trying to cheer myself up, I started to think seriously about why I was doing these essays and why I chose to work on them instead of applying to three colleges that I know I can get into and quit. I realize that I was the one who decided to apply to these colleges in the first place, because I wanted to challenge myself and trust my work in the past and see if the schools I like actually may like me back as well. However, when I devote myself to the process, I seldom recall my initial goal and only know about the stress. I begin to forget that every step I am taking on this way is a new step toward a new direction, and no matter how harsh or steep it is, the point I am standing, being nervous about the next step, is always the furthest place I have ever been so far. And, whether I am scratching my head or holding my breath to type out a tough sentence, I am always closest to my goal and my dream at that moment.

So the point of thinking positively is not thinking about random positive things, but focusing on the positive side of the very difficulties we are facing right now, in order to find a way to break through it. We are not being satisfied with what we have, but we appreciate the accomplishments that show us our capabilities. We are not defeated by the distance between the reality and the dream. Instead, we are motivated by it and are excited about the unknown possibilities, because the remaining distance to success is nothing compares to the long journey we have gone through in the past. And the process itself should be enough to provide our happiness that is needed to stay hopeful and meanwhile motivated to move forward.

There’s nothing wrong about expecting happiness after success, though Achor pointed out that there would be no success that simply ends with pure happiness. It is true that people don’t usually feel as excited as they expected to be after some accomplishment, but it is not because they just instantly set another goal to fight for, and the happiness is again moved to a place far beyond reach. Indeed, it is because people are experiencing so much improvements in the process that they have already received the accomplishment by bettering themselves and being motivated to move forward. The only thing is that they should realize the power inside it to appreciate their improvements in the same way they treat their physical surroundings.

For many of the students who are under the stress of school work, think about what your objections are, and be grateful to what you have accomplished for yourselves. Be delighted about the past, because that’s the same way you can move forward.