It's Not About if the Glass is Half Full or Half Empty

Is your glass half full or half empty? An expression that basically asks, are you a pessimist or an optimist? Do you see the gloom or the bright side? This stark contrast in how you view your "glass" begs the question, what do you really think about your life? Do you see what you have as "enough"? Or do you feel like there could be more that you just don't seem to have? This is the very question begged by the "glass half full, glass half empty" saying.

In my opinion, we put a lot of emphasis on what we're filling our glasses with. Our friends, our family, our belongings, and countless other things that make us happy. But what really determines if the glass is full or not? Have we designated a "perfect" glass size that resembles the idea of having a 100% full life?

Think about it this way: If you have an 8-ounce glass that you measure your life's fullness by, a halfway full life would resemble 4 ounces of what you fill it with. However, if you take what you've poured into that glass and pour it into a smaller glass, perhaps a 6-ounce glass, it's no longer half full (or empty). The fullness of your life nears the top a bit more. By making your glass smaller, you have actually changed the way you view the fullness of your life.

What I'm getting at is that we tend to imagine very large glasses when we think about feeling fulfilled with our lives. Lifetime fulfillment seems like the biggest challenge to meet, and sometimes it boggles our minds to think about being completely and utterly fulfilled. It's hard to imagine exactly what will get us to the very brim, as if we simply can't find what will make us completely and totally happy. It seems like the undoable. However, if you think more humbly, if you think about people who do not have as much as you, there is a much simpler way to see your glass. In some parts of the world, in some peoples' minds, having safety, food, shelter, and family is the deciding factor on if your glass is full. It's not your Instagram following, it's not how many countries you've traveled to, and it's not about anything you see others doing that you are not. It's simply about feeling fulfilled knowing that you can simply be.

In a world where many of us are given endless opportunities, we have very high expectations for our lives. We have lost the ability to look past what others are doing and achieving, and now it's all about inching towards our goals that seem too big to truly conquer. For those of us with big dreams and aspirations, sometimes the chase isn't what fulfills us. It's as if we add a drop every day in hopes that one day there will be just enough to say that we are fulfilled. But sometimes what we see as a drop should be seen as a large pour. It is up to us to decide what truly "fills" the glass in a big way.

xo Kate