School days can be rough sometimes. Whether they are bad because you had two tests, or because your friend did something a friend shouldn’t do, there is almost always a little good in everything bad. I think that in a world where we have to practice barricading the classroom door, and that a school shooter is a very real reality, sometimes we have to be able to find good in the bad the best we can.

Finding the good in things doesn’t mean you have to be unrealistic, the toughest thing when I try to do this is trying to continue to find the good things while still being real with the situation I am in. When I fail a test and try to find good in that, I can’t just say “well I didn’t fail it I just got a low grade, its fine.” Something you could think about in that situation would be “I may have failed this test but I have plenty of room to improve on my next one.” The first example completely dismissed the problem or “bad”, but the second thought acknowledged the bad while also acknowledging the good within the bad.

Another struggle you could have while trying this could be the struggle of finding the good in the bad. Sometimes things really are just bad situations and you have to deal with it and try to move on if you can, so when looking for the good, don’t try to force it. When I force it, I find something that could be good but just doesn’t help lift my spirits.  If you are struggling to find good in that particular thing in your life, then look to another part of your life. If failing that test meant so much to you that there is no good in failing it, then look for the good in other aspects of your life such as extracurriculars, friends, other classes, or maybe something good is coming that you can look forward too.

In a world with many pessimists, be an optimist when you can be. If you want to look farther into finding the good and the bad read Evelyn Fiske’s take on the subject.