Shifting the Half Glass Paradigm

Is the glass half full or half empty? That is the question for today's post. The other day I was scrolling through my Twitter stream and noticed Bill Ferriter's picture of a half glass with the hashtag, #HalfFull, beneath it.

The next thought I had was why do I have to choose which of the two mindsets best represents me? I mean either choice seems a little hollow if you ask me. Let me explain a little further.

Half Empty People

The half-empty paradox is obviously vacant. It neglects appreciation and emphasizes blaming one's current lot in life on everything or everyone. These people acknowledge for a brief moment that there is water in the glass, but their focus quickly shifts to complaining about how much water is not in the glass. In essence they don't value the beauty of the present; thus they cannot move forward to their true goal, spiritual fulfillment.

Half Full People 

Optimistic people see the bright side of everything and are grateful for the half they possess. Their positive disposition is contagious because they model for others how to appreciate life for all of the good and bad that it has to offer. 

But there is a downside to people who commit to the half-full philosophy. With their focus being on appreciation for all that they have, they often are blinded to what is still missing, the other half of the glass. 

Fully Full People

These people are a rare breed. They see the glass half full but go beyond that point of view. By being thankful for the half that they have, they use the meniscus (line in the middle) as the bridge between their present and their potential.  By focusing on the meniscus rather than which part is empty or full, they can begin to set their sights on the 'yet to be filled' half in a vastly different way. With this complete change of mindset, Fully-Full people transform a void into a vision. They view the upper part of the glass as their goal, something to strive for. The image below illustrates what I'm talking about. 

By tapping into the power of validation, Full-Full people use their success of their current reality as a springboard to shoot for the opportunity that they have yet to discover. 

Half-empty people can't do that because they cannot value where they are, and half-full people cannot do it either because they can't their sights for a vision beyond their shackles of satisfaction. 

So where is your vision set?  Are you focused on the #HalfEmpty, the #HalfFull or the meniscus which brings the two together to create the #FullyFull paradigm?