How to be a glass half full person
Do you know a person who always seems happy and positive about themselves and life in general? We have all seen them, right?
They never seem to have a problem and seem to be able to deal with things in life with composure and grace. Never do they seem to experience problems or appear down in any way. Some people call it the Midas touch!
Do you wish you were more like them and able to deal with your life circumstances like they do?
Glass half-full or half-empty?
These people have a way of seeing life as being the “half-full glass” where even if things are going wrong for them, (which in reality it does sometimes for everyone) they find something positive in it to focus on. This way of viewing life is natural for some people, but for the majority of people who use this approach to life, it is a learned response. It results from making an intention to look at the positive and not to dwell on the negative and then practicing doing this.
In life, every decision you make is a choice. How you choose to view a situation is a choice. There are people who have something bad happen to them and they spiral downwards into depression. Yet there are others who, having had the same experience, choose to use it as a way of inspiring others.
Is it that simple?
Sounds easy when it’s on paper, but in the reality of life, it’s usually not. How do people learn to focus on the half-full glass and not the half-empty one and remain positive? It’s not easy to be thankful when faced with difficult circumstances. However, practicing gratitude helps us deal with all but the most difficult experiences we may face in our lives. We start our day by journalling which includes writing down 3 things we are grateful for. You can read that blog post at 6 steps to a positive mindset. It is the key to the optimism that we see in the positive people that we admire so much.
When we complain all the time, we can quickly lose our perspective. Yes, the tradesperson may have taken hours to complete a job that another tradesperson may have completed in much less time, but before we complain at the bill, consider the work quality between the two. Maybe our concern is justified, but if the work produced is superior in quality, then maybe the extra time was justified? By complaining, you are really only highlighting inadequacies you have in your life! Harsh but true!
Glass-half full thinking
Glass-half full thinking makes you look at a situation before complaining about it. It asks whether a complaint will make the situation better or worse and if it will help to resolve the issue. In most cases, the answer to both these questions is no! On the odd occasions where making a complaint is justified, then we should do something about it. Maintaining an attitude of gratitude helps us maintain a positive perspective on most things that happen in our life. It helps to keep the glass half-full even in the most difficult of circumstances.
In conclusion
I like to think of it in another way. Think about the situation as a glass of your favorite drink. Would you rather it was half full, meaning you still had loads left to drink, or half empty, meaning it is almost gone! That kind of mentality in itself makes you smile and therefore think more favourably about the situation.
Why not try it next time you are in that situation?