Staying positive

I've been pretty negative and discouraged recently. It's really bringing me down. I know I shouldn't be so negative, but it's so easy to get overwhelmed and disappointed when a pass just doesn't happen. My husband is so tired of me moping around all the time. So, I decorated Sexy Lexi (my steno machine) with a few important phrases.

The first is: "You CAN, and you WILL." I have been trying to say this over and over again before a test. I don't quite believe it yet, but it helps to see it in print, they seem just a little more believable.

The second phrase is because of my husband. He's a big fan of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books and in those books, the first rule is: Don't panic. So, I wrote that on my machine too.

I have a tendency to panic over everything. I panic when I'm doing poorly on a test because I feel like an idiot. I panic then I'm doing well on a test and I'm excited, and then that makes me blow it. I panic after I've blown the test because I know I've wasted a perfectly good test. I panic when I'm correcting a test because I see mistakes I wish I hadn't made. I panic when I drive home from school because I feel discouraged at my lack of progress and the traffic stresses me out. I panic when I think about how much more work I still have to do and how long it will take me to do it. Basically, I'm a panicker. (is that word?) It's awful. I always fall to pieces.

So, hopefully looking at the words every time I practice or take a test, will help me feel less worried and more positive. I took a picture of the finished product so you can see what I'm talking about.

How do other people stay positive when there are so many things to be disappointed about?