An Individual's Outlook

So, a friend asked me the other day, "If the glass can't be half full, then what's the point?" My response was pretty simple, "Well the glass can be empty, which is a good thing if you're drinking beer or some other alcoholic drink. Then you can just go get another full one."

The point is, your outlook may be bleak, but you can always start over and things may just work out for the best.

For the me, the whole question of, "is the glass half full or half empty?" is a question of your mental state. For me, it depends on what's happening. If I'm building things up, then it's half full, but if I'm taking things apart, then it's half empty. An empty glass isn't a bad thing though. I always look around myself and give myself contingency plans and I don't let a bad situation get out of hand. Yes, things will stress me out and I'll get down on some situations, but I'll always work myself out of it or I'll get in a state of mind that will put a positive spin on the current situation.

This may not work in all situations. I'm sure people with cancer, as an example, may not have the best outlook, especially if they are in stage 4 or 5. By no means am I saying they should accept death, but some may and that will put them at ease knowing they are going to a better place. Some may say that they are going to fight to the end and that will give them purpose, drive, and will give them a more positive outlook. To each their own in situations like this. For me, I would always hope my loved ones would fight to the end, but if they accept death for whatever reason, then I'll be there supporting them. You have to support people and their decisions as long it's best for them and their happiness.

I saw my Grandfather accept his death when his kidneys failed. He was smiling and he told me that he loved me. That was good enough for me. I didn't like that fact that he was leaving, but seeing him at peace before death helped me. He was always my role model and out of everyone in my family, I'm more like him than anyone else, so losing him was huge for me. His outlook was always positive though because he always had a contingency in place. If something broke and he had to go back to square one, he was okay with that and just started over. Most of the time, he fixed something to the point where it was better than it was before it broke.

Focusing on half full or half empty is just kind of pointless... either way, you're still in the same place. Just build up or break down what is in front of you, and in the end, the outcome is what it is. It's what you do with what is in front of you that counts.