We’ve all heard the question 100 times. Do you see the glass half full or half empty? The point of the question is to allow us a glimpse at what our perspective on life is. Today I write to share something I’ve realized over the last couple of years. First I should tell you I was very blessed as a child to be raised by an optimistic, faith-filled, sales entrepreneur. She faced all kinds of adversity and always made it through. Therefore, my outlook on life was and is one of possibilities, solutions and creative objectives. For years I’ve lived by the words THERE’S ALWAYS A SOLUTION. Today we cleave to them at our home office. However, we all know those nasty Motivation Assassinators linger at every turn just waiting to steal our joy, kill our hope and destroy our dreams–well, I recently realized they exist to turn a positive outlook negative too.
“NOW HOLD ON A MINUTE!!!! Donna, you’re the one who says not to blame-cast. You’re the one who says it isn’t someone or something else that determines how we look at life!”
Yes, it’s true. That’s what I say. And it’s what I’m saying today as well. The title says it all. If our perception has changed and we find ourselves thinking things like, “She really hurt me, or he let me down, or they always disappoint me,” we need to realize our perspective had to have changed first. OUR perspective–did you get that? Ours’, not someone else’s… is the only thing we can control. How we see the world–not what someone else is doing or saying is what determines our perspective. Ok, so back to my example.
The glass story should have four types of illustrations, not two. While there are those who see the glass half full and look at the positives in life, and there are those who see it half empty and regularly tend to see what’s wrong… there are two other groups. Ask yourself which one you are. The third group looks at the glass and says something like, “At the rate of evaporation that glass is going to be completely EMPTY before long! And the final group thinks to them self, “The glass could be COMPLETELY full nearly all the time! Let’s make a plan to go over there and get some more water to pour into the glass so it’s always full!” This is one of those hard questions. The hard questions are the great questions. Which person are you? How do you view the world around you?
Perspective is one of the most powerful things in the universe. If the glass example doesn’t help you, maybe these facts will. A negative perspective is most likely present when you react more than you respond. If universal terms are used by you, negative perspective may have its hold. Terms like ‘always, never, ever and everyone‘ are universal terms. It’s a negative outlook that gets credit if you say things like, “That won’t work, it can’t happen, it’s going to fail, no one is any good at this.” One with a negative lean puts conditions on life and therefore has trouble experiencing true joy. They say ‘if’ a lot and find the reasons too often that something is going to be hard rather than point out why something will work. To my ‘there’s always a solution’ comment, a negative perspective might say, “Well, there isn’t one today is there?” A positive outlook is yours if you truly… in your heart of hearts… expect things to go well, and you speak that out loud. It’s a positive expectancy that’s demonstrated when you see the talent in others, the ability and the willingness to learn in the world around you. The adage is true. People live up to and down to our expectations. What do you truly expect from others? A positive outlook is one that people are drawn to. The human race is one that longs for hope-filled words and ideas of inspiration. If you find that folks like to sit in your presence and/or learn of life from you, your outlook may just be a good one! In the face of adversity a positive lean says things like, “This too shall pass, there is a way to solve this,” and points out all the good in something. A positive outlook brings energy to a room–a negative one drains it. A positive lean laughs out loud, sings and smiles on the way to work rather than walking in the door and turning ‘on’. Now before you go beating yourself up remember we all have our days. Sometimes we just have to put on a brave face and that’s a good thing. The main thing to remember is that it’s who we are when no one is watching that says everything about us. What do you catch yourself thinking about the world around you, about the people you work with, about your opportunity to be a world-changer through this company? Does it all excite you or do you focus on what’s wrong with the picture? Do you think to yourself reasons things will probably not get done the way you hope they will or do you look at the world around you and just KNOW things are going to be GREAT?
Not to worry if you’ve discovered your outlook on life is less optimistic than you want it to be. The neat thing about perspective is that it can change! It’s about setting the tone for our day, our career, and our life. Simply practice gratitude. Of course you realize in order to truly succeed at something practice needs to occur on a steady, on-going basis. So practice, practice, practice being truly appreciative of the world around you. Remember, it only takes 21 days form a new habit, so you’ll be seeing the world in a wondrously joyous way in no time!!!! You’ll find your perspective beginning to head in a very positive direction. Notice all that’s going well in your life, your work, your relationships. FIND THE GOOD AND TALK ABOUT IT. You’re going to be very surprised to find how easy it is to find the good things that are happening around you. Even if your outlook has been a negative one, finding the good is like magic in turning it around. Finally, a real key to leaning an outlook in a positive direction— clinging to a vision!
Joel Osteen says, “You’ll never rise above your level of thinking,” so think and believe BIG!! Imagine you’re riding your bike. If all you do is look down at the road right under your wheel, you may see the pothole underneath you, BUT you will miss the glorious scenery and even the hills up ahead. Looking out in front of you allows you to see all that’s coming, the beautiful view and the inclines too. You can plan, gage your speed and take in the wonders of nature. Please don’t let a negative outlook ruin all your life can be. People are out here just LONGING to bless you–will you let them? What’s your lean?