Since the first day I set foot in my classroom 13 years ago, my motto has been, “Actitude positiva, positive attitude.” It is not only my motto, but also one of my classroom rules, a phrase I want my students to remember and apply it to their daily life. Personally, I use it especially when I’m going  through a hard time. When everything is going  great in my life and things go as planned, saying my motto comes easily. Saying it makes feels like shouting it from the top of my lungs. When things are going great it does not take any effort to remind myself and others how great life is. However, when life becomes hard and things don’t go as planned, frustration sets in; this is when I have the hardest time saying it. It is in those times that I don’t want to say it and I even get mad at myself for saying it. But through the years, I have learned that I grow by saying it in those difficult moments. For me, having a positive attitude, especially in times of doubt means I have a choice and that I don’t have to be a victim of life. In the hardest moments of my life, I tell myself to have a positive attitude, I allow  myself to feel the negative self-feelings that arise and then a choice a positive attitude regardless of the outcome. A positive attitude for me is more than just a smile, for me, it is having a choice, the powerful and courageous choice of not being a victim but rather the doer of my life.