It's How You See It

Is the glass half empty or half full? This is, of course, a common question. We consider those who see it half full as optimistic, while we label the "half empty" folks as not so optimistic.

I'm discovering more that the way we look at things does make a difference. I read a great quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer. It says "change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change".

How true is this? We know that the things we look at don't literally change in front of our eyes. However, I can think of some of examples of the truth of this statement in my own life. When I began teaching at my current school, I was very optimistic. However, some negative things happened and I became disillusioned. So much so, that I began to hate the place. It was difficult for the first month or so, until I made the decision to see things differently. Instead of seeing the school as negative and a roadblock to my career success, I thanked God that I even had a job. I thanked Him that I still had the opportunity to positively impact young lives. I thanked him for the patience to deal with 7th and 8th graders on a regular basis. In a short time, things quickly turned around and became positive. Now, in my second year at the school, it has become my greatest teaching success.

How did this job go from negative to positive? After all, it was the same place, the same job,and the same people I was working with. I know 100% it was that I changed the way I looked at it. It wasn't easy, and I could have never done it it without God's help, but it was when I saw the job as a blessing instead of a negative that the blessings actually began to appear.

Is it always easy to change our way of thinking in a negative situation? Sometimes it's not. However, it's nice to know that we always have control of the situation, and we have the free will to adjust our thoughts to the positive. No one can take that from us.

As we go about our days I find it helpful to put things in perspective. When I think I don't have enough money, I need to remember I am richer than 90% of this world. When I complain about being tired from getting up at 5:30 am, I need to remember that my family and I are very healthy. When I complain about my job I need to remember many people in this country don't have one at this time. The list can go on an on.

The bottom line is that life is great. That is, if you see it that way.

I hope your glass is half full today. Have a great one : )