You can see the glass as half empty or you can see the glass as half full. No, this is nothing new. I know you have read and heard this a thousand times by now. But no matter how many times you hear or read this, it still remain true: you can live an optimistic life or you can stay sullen and grumpy and see only the negative side of life. The life you don’t have, the house that you don’t have, the car that you don’t have or the phone that you don’t have.
Unless you are living on the road, under the stars and going to sleep on an empty stomach, I bet there are plenty of things that you can feel good about. It is easy to be pissed about everything that is wrong in life and in doing so while away all the good that we have.
Hope and an optimistic outlook can change everything in a moment. I was a very bad student in terms of scoring marks and passing exams. Memorizing text and recounting that on paper in the exact same words was a big challenge. This was evident from my repeated failure in school exams all the time, especially in English.
Well, like any other Indian parents would do, I was pushed into extra coaching to tide over the challenges. The few months of coaching did help a bit, but did not solve the problem and I failed again. This was a bleak time, I was that guy who fails and everyone around was convinced that I would I have to repeat the year in school – which was a shock when compared to my meritorious sibling.
So near to the final exams, I trudged to my English tuition and buried my head into the workbook to avoid cross questions and another scolding that I was sure would come. My teacher entered the room with a paper and shoved it in front of my eyes. I was sure this must be the result of the exam she had given me last week, which I definitely must have flunked. If it was possible, I stooped a bit more and pressed my chin deeper into my chest. But the wide grin on her face indicated otherwise. She congratulated me and slid the certificate out of the envelope. I had won an essay competition organized by the Zilla Parishad (district council). She was suddenly confident that if I put in the effort I could easily pass the final exam – never had tall goals.
The win and her reassurance filled me with optimism and provided the much needed confidence. The world seemed brighter, the sounds crisper and the smells intoxicating. I was alive!
Failure has been an integral part of my life. But that has never stopped me from dreaming big. Optimism is not only necessary for survival, it is essential to thrive.
Hope is the flame that keeps us alive. Optimism, the eternal Sun that feeds our soul. So before you go ahead and rub off your ‘glass half empty’ color on others, always remember,
“Never deprive someone of hope, because that may be all that they have.” ~ H. Jackson Brown