Reframing situations in my life so that I have a smaller cup has been incredibly empowering. Can we stay with this wisdom a little longer? 

Don’t misunderstand this: I am not suggesting that you simply desire a smaller cup and your current situation is forever good enough, allowing you to sit back and never have another aspirational thought again. NO!! Rather, I would suggest that being aspirational, self-motivated and proactive are easier attitudes to adopt when we feel higher levels of self-esteem and contentment. The secret is in finding a balance between contentment and aspiration - how full is the optimum level of our cup?

The range of 65 to 75% full works for me. Goals should be challenging and attainable, but not overwhelming. When my cup is around 70% full, I am encouraged to keep trying hard and to keep seeking out new challenges and opportunities. One of the more insightful movies I saw was “What about Bob?’ One of the characters is a psychiatrist whose treatment protocol is about baby steps. The trick is to forever make your cup grow a little bigger: grow your cup, but grow it slowly. 

One is forever in a state of either growth or decline: it is like you are rowing up a river, and if you stop rowing you don’t stay still – you go backwards. As I achieved a new milestone, I invented a new goal that were just a little bit beyond my current reach. Just a little further out there, but always within reach. Small increments in the long run advance us towards our goals. 

To implement the smaller cup lifestyle, start by finding you own best state of being “full”. And remember to keep expanding your cup in small steps - even let it overflow once in the while! Over a lifetime, a healthily realistic, but nonetheless essentially optimistic, attitude towards life’s situations and challenges can create a tremendous sense of well being and bounty.