Is your glass half-empty or half-full?

We’ve heard this saying over and over and over. It’s typically presented as a perspective about life.

Do you have a glass half-empty perspective?
Do you tend to look at things with a bit more pessimism,
anticipating the worst or seeing what has been lost?

Do you have a glass half-full perspective?
Do you tend to look at things with a bit more optimism,
anticipating the best or seeing what can be gained?

“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” - William Shakespeare

Perspective influences everything. What we see and how we interpret it depends on our frame of reference and how our experiences in life have shaped it. No two people will see the same thing, and this can be hard to understand and accept. The holidays have a way of bringing up emotions, memories and, at times, we can even get triggered (and sometimes not even know why). When we are tired, over-worked or trying to do many things in a short amount of time, we become more vulnerable which can lead to heightened emotions or feelings.

If our glass is half-empty or even empty, how can we have anything left to give?

Over-giving/over-doing can make us resentful and exhausted. Or we feel like we haven’t done enough, cooked enough food, bought enough gifts, etc. and we begin to second guess ourselves? Over-giving/over-doing can also prevent us from being in the moment of receiving. Have you ever felt guilty when you received a gift and had nothing to give? Sometimes gratitude and acceptance are the most important things we can give, especially during the holidays.

How can we have a more meaningful holiday season?

The simple yet difficult concept of putting our oxygen mask on first before helping others comes to mind. Translating this into the half-empty or half-full glass perspective, I believe, is to fill our glass first before we can give to others.

Ensure you are getting enough rest, are eating healthy, are exercising and doing the things that help you feel good, balanced and centered. You may even need to increase your self-care (giving to yourself first) with a massage, extra visit to the beauty shop or barber shop, reflexology, investing in an aromatherapy diffuser or anything else that helps you feel energized, cared for and loved.

Filling your glass first, especially for the next week prior to Thanksgiving, will allow you to create a new experience and perspective. Remember to give to yourself first and then give gratitude, love and acceptance to others. This will help you receive with gratitude, love and acceptance from yourself and from others.
This holiday season, my wish is for you to be more grateful, more accepting and more loving. We all need something different to fill our glasses.

“What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: our life is the creation of minds.” - Buddha

© 2019 by Amy Jones - All Rights Reserved