Is The Glass Half Full Or Half Empty?
“You have to see the glass half full!” “You always see the glass half empty!”
We are all familiar with this popular expression. In this article we are going to see the wisdom behind the glass half full to the bottom (of the glass!). By understanding the meaning of the phrase, you will be able to motivate yourself and maybe even change your point of view. Sounds good, right?
To this end, positive psychology aims to explore and explain how optimal human functioning always strives to encourage well-being in adverse situations.
This branch of psychology originated at the end of the twentieth century. Martin Seligman, former director of the American Psychology Association, is the intellectual author of these ideas along with other psychologists.
Change your point of view! See the glass half full
You have the power, you are the one who can change your behavior. And most importantly, only you can change your mind.
Even though you know this, it’s still all too easy to get carried away by the first thought that comes to mind. Often enough, though, that first thought is negative.
Of course, these kinds of thoughts also have negative effects. Perhaps the thoughts come to you because you are stressed at work. Or maybe you have problems at home or other problems…
Nevertheless, if you ignore negative thoughts, you may be able to hold them back, instead of walking hand in hand with them to the brink. Negative thoughts breed negative thoughts if you let them.
What if we focus on the positive instead of focusing on the negative? What if instead of seeing the glass half empty, we start seeing it half full? This switch is easier to achieve than you might think.
Once you produce the first positive thought and accept it as a guide, it will lead you on a new path. Here you will find many other thoughts of a similar nature. These thoughts feed and sustain each other.
The red light
Close your eyes and imagine this situation… When you drive home, the same traffic light is always on red. You are literally always in front of that red light, it seems like someone is doing it on purpose to annoy you. The red light means you are coming home later and you are already tired from your day. To make matters worse, you are alone in the car…
One day you are on your way home again, this time with a friend. When you get closer to the traffic light, say, ‘Sure, go red again. I don’t understand how I’m always here at a red light!’ But your friend laughs and says, “I love that this traffic light is always red!”
All this time you focused only on what was right in front of you: the red light. However, you only had to turn your head a little and you would see what your friend sees: the sea and a beautiful sunset.
For some, this traffic light is a source of stress, exhaustion and complaints. For another, it’s an opportunity to stop and enjoy the view, the company of another person, or maybe a good song on the radio.
That’s the type of person who sees the glass as half full. Just look past that which is right in front of you. Enjoy where you are and who you are. Do that, instead of thinking how something could negatively affect your future.
