We are our own worst enemies.  The amount of pain and suffering we cause ourselves is staggering when you really see it.  Guilt, fear, jealousy, depression, insecurity, apathy, sloth - all of these and more are tortures that we inflict on ourselves.  Does another person really have the ability to inflict any of these feelings upon you?  Or do we allow ourselves to feel this way of our own accord?
I don’t get it.  Why do we do this?  What exactly is it in our subconscious mind that drives us towards these feelings?  As a strong proponent of free will, I believe that we should have complete control over ourselves.  Is that actually realistic or possible?  Who can say for sure?  But I would much rather live my life attempting to walk that path than to allow myself to fall into a spiraling hole of self-inflicted pain.

How is it that some look at the world and see suffering, ugliness, corruption and hate while others see the complete opposite?  Do we not all have eyes that work the same way?  What is going on in our heads that makes the same image appear one way to one person and a complete different way to another?

I used to see a lot of negativity.  All that did was make me feel dark and depressed.  Now I choose to see goodness and beauty.
I see trees, covered in snow, shining in the moonlight and it takes my breath away.

I see the way a simple act of kindness can brighten someone’s day.

I surround myself with people close to me and I feel loved and thankful to have them in my life.
I have felt the feeling of freedom as I plummet down a mountain on a plank of wood - like every other concern in my life is gone at that moment.
I have felt achievement after pushing myself past an old plateau during a workout and it feels amazing.
There are so many little things in life that can improve your mood and brighten your spirits.  It takes time to build up to the habit of doing / perceiving them, but they add up quickly and before you know it you have a different outlook and feel much different than you used to.  Why is it so hard to simply turn our backs on negativity?  What stops us?
I will never go back to my old way of thinking.  So many boundaries in our lives are holding us back and nearly all of them are of our own creation.

Next time you feel negativity coming on: jealousy, anger, etc. try this.  Close your eyes.  Visualize the source of that feeling in your body.  Try to picture the colour of the source.  Try to feel the edges of the shape of the source in your body and see the colour of it.  Focus until you can picture it vividly.  Now picture that spot moving through your body until it gets to your forehead and imagine that it grows a little tail that sticks out of your head.  Take your hand and pluck it from your forehead.  Throw it do the ground and picture it shattering.  You’ll feel a warmth and tingle in the spot on your forehead and the feeling will be gone after you open your eyes.

Sounds like BS eh?  But it works.  Try it.  The important part is to really visualize the feeling.  I have no idea why it works, but it does.