Fill Up Your Glass

How often do we hear people talking about “How do you see your glass”?   “Do you see that glass as half empty or half full?”

Most of us know that the answer to that question can change your life.  We have heard people talk about mindset, as they ask about how you see the world. Are you someone with a negative outlook?  Do you look for what is wrong, instead of seek out what is right?  Do you find the flaw instead of the beauty?   Or, do you constantly look for the silver lining when the dark cloud looms overhead?  Do you count your blessings, when others critique every aspect of their lives?

The question of how you see your glass can be important, but maybe it’s possible there is a more important lesson that can come from going beyond the simplicity of the question.

Why does it matter?

It is very true that our way of seeing this life can and will color the landscape of the daily world we live in.

But what if we stopped focusing on that question altogether and made it into something more? 

What if we stopped thinking about whether or not our glass is half full or half empty, but instead started with the idea, that we are simply lucky to have a glass? What if we then empowered ourselves to go one step further, and realize that we are always the ones with the ability to fill it up? What could that do in changing the way we move through this life?

Would that change how we go about our daily routines?  Would it remind us that we are not simply waiting to have a glass filled by life, and then being grateful for it, but instead blessed to have the glass automatically given, and responsible for filling it as we move along our own journey?

Maybe it’s not enough to just be happy that your glass is half full.  Yes, that is seeing the positive, instead of choosing to view the negative.  And yes, gratitude is always a keep to living your best life. But it still makes it seem like you are needing to wait, for someone or something to fill it up.

So, let’s stop focusing on just how the glass looks, and embrace one of those beautiful opportunities in this life, to begin with gratitude in mind, which can come from remembering every single one of us is lucky and fortunate that we were all given a glass in this life. 

“Some see the glass half full. Others see the glass half empty. The enlightened ones are simply grateful to have a glass.” -Mark Desvaux

Once we can truly appreciate the gift of being given our own “glass” in our lives, we can go even further, and empower ourselves to remember that how full our glass is, absolutely and always rests on ourselves.

We are the only ones in this life, who can and will determine how full that glass is. May sound scary, I know–until we recognize what that means–that we never have to wait around for this glass to get full, but instead we are the ones who can fill it, anytime we find it getting low.

Here comes the alliance

This is where action, energy and perspective form a mighty alliance, and can help us truly change our lives.

It is easy to walk through this life daydreaming about all the things we want and fall into a never-ending waiting game. 

For some, they say they want to be rich and nearly everyone will find themselves saying they just want to be happy.  There can be so many other ideas—like we want to be married, have children, have a big house, get the right job, take the perfect vacation, etc., all so that we feel like our glass is finally full. 

But the problem there, is what if those things don’t happen, or when they do, you still feel like something is missing?  Then what?  That glass is never full, and always waiting for someone else to pour something in.

So—here is where we stop waiting for something, and take the action, put in our energy and change our perspective to be the one to choose how full that glass is, and make the important choice to fill it up yourself.  Recognize the power in knowing you have your own glass in this life.  Then, remind yourself that you always have the power you have to fill it up.

Take action.  Action is that piece that allows you to stop thinking and start moving.  We may start with thought and intention, but to truly begin to fill that cup—we have to make the leap to action—and move ourselves towards achievement.

Let me start by saying that I am a notorious overthinker.  I can make plans, write lists, and theorize about all the details of what I will do.  (Maybe that’s just me).  But all that thought, without the action behind it, as I have learned, can still leave you at the starting line, rather than actually running the race towards living your best life.

“Take action.  An inch of movement will bring you closer to your goals than a mile of intention.” -Steve Mariboli

So, a necessary step in this journey of filling up our cups is to take action.

Choose to do the things that make you feel alive.  Choose to act in a way that brings you closer to your dreams.  Choose to be unafraid to fail, knowing it’s the action that brings you closer to success. Choose to take the time to do those things that push you towards the person you want to be, rather than the person you think you have to be. 

We can make plans, give ourselves the opportunity to set intention, and consider back-up plans as we prepare.  But, in the end—we need to take action.  So, get moving and choose action, knowing your action will be absolutely crucial to being able to fill up that cup.

Don’t focus on how big the steps are. The only thing that matters is the action. Every inch of action is moving your forward. Just begin with one step, one choice, and one act…and move yourself towards this full cup in life that you deserve.

Create energy. Energy is that beautiful force which can propel us forward, once we have taken action.

I am in no means a scientist, much less an expert in physics, but one of the few things I remember, is that a body in motions tends to stay in motion, unless acted upon by a stronger force.  In layman’s terms—you need to create energy that keeps you moving into the direction of where you want your life to go. 

Energy is fueled by your unwillingness to be still, when want you want—and more importantly what you need, is to move towards what you deserve.

“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” -Aristotle

In that same realm—understand that there will always be outside forces that can try and slow your energy.  They are merely roadblocks that you will face—not reasons to stop.  When you come across those obstacles, take the detour; find another route, and keep moving with your energy towards the life you want, the person you deserve to be, and the dreams you are destined to achieve.

You yourself are energy.  So, use it.  Learn to wield that energy to propel you forward and allow you to continually fill that glass as you move along this journey of life.

Choose your perspective.  Once you have taken action, and recognized the ability to create energy, your final piece of the puzzle is that choice of perspective.

This is the point of choosing what you will focus on. You already know you are lucky to just have the glass. You are taking action, and you are creating energy towards bringing about all the fullness of life you deserve. Does that mean it will always be easy to have the positive outlook?

“Your attitude is either the lock on, or the key to the door to success.” -Denis Waitley

Will you continue to look for the light in the darkness? Will you continue to seek out hope, when it’s easier to get swallowed by desperation or frustration? Some days will force you to dig deep to maintain the positive perspective. But, it is always your choice. You can have a bad day, and still keep a beautiful perspective, because you recognize while we can’t control the world around us, we can choose always choose our own perspective.

While perspective is a simple concept, it doesn’t make it easy. You have to choose what you will focus on, because life will always give you an abundance of options that can steal your gaze.

This is where you need to choose where you put your focus. Experts in psychology and personal growth will remind you that what you choose to focus on, will manifest itself into your life. So, with that in mind, decide what you want your perspective to be.

It is that choice of your perspective that les you focus on that beautiful cup of life, and reminds us just how much our perspective is crucial in keeping it full.

Fill your glass from that alliance.   Now—you don’t have to keep considering simply whether or not your glass is half empty or half full. Because now—you know that there is an innate power to knowing you are first and foremost, blessed to have been given the glass—but then, empowered to always have the ability to fill up your own glass.

Yes, this big and beautiful world has so much within it that we can struggle with where to begin, and what to focus on.

And often, it’s easy to simplify it all by just looking at how full your glass is. But, we don’t need to limit ourselves to only that view. Instead, we can change how we move through this life, with more purpose, passion, and power.

Now, we can realize not only how lucky we are to simply have a glass–but we can invest into ourselves with action, energy, and perspective as we move through this life. We can own our opportunity to fill our glasses, as often as we want, and to as full as we need, by the choices we make, the energy we create, and the perspectives we take.

Love and light to all!