Moving forward through life sometimes requires that we let go of the comfortable and familiar that we may have worked extremely hard to achieve and move on to new things.

Nearly everyone you run into is looking for someone to be kind to them. Being on the receiving end of a kind act makes people feel better, feel happier, makes them smile, and increases their level of self-esteem because it validates their importance. All it takes is a kind word, a smile, a compliment, opening the door for someone, or letting them cut in front of you in traffic.

The answer is simply to give people what they’re truly craving for, which is an opportunity to be listened to. Popular people understand that no one wants to hear what they have to say, but those same people are dying to tell their stories to someone who cares.

I recently came across the following quote from Amy Voskamp that contains some excellent life advice: “No amount of regret changes the past. No amount of anxiety changes the future. But any amount of gratitude changes the present.”

Every once in a while, I’ll have someone tell me that they’re not really happy with where their journey through life has taken them. They feel that they should have done better or accomplished more. When I hear this, I ask these people to reflect for a moment on where their life journey started. This usually brings a smile to their face.

In an article which appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Melinda Beck referred to a growing body of research which shows that feeling grateful for the good things that have happened to us can improve our psychological, emotional and physical health.

I never looked at the people we meet on our journey through life as gifts before, but when you think about it, they really are. Some become mentors, while others become life-partners, best friends, role-models, intermediaries, cheerleaders, confidantes and soul mates.

Not long ago, I was in Trader Joe’s looking for a Mother’s Day card. I checked the card section of the store but found none. I then asked an employee who I’ve known for a while and affectionately refer to as “Awesome Ava,” if there was any other place I should look.

Optimists are those people who have a positive outlook on life. They’re the ones who see the glass as being half-full instead of half-empty. And, if life sends them lemons, instead of feeling sorry for themselves, they figure out a way to make lemonade.