When looking at your life, I am sure that you have heard the question, “Is your cup half full or half empty?” It is a simple query that suggests whether you are an optimist (half full) or a pessimist (half empty). Using this question, it is implied that you can be classified into one of two camps, but can we rephrase our response?
Imagine if the cup were smaller, then it would be fuller with the same amount of liquid. So a better reply might be, “This cup is just too big. I need a smaller cup.” Instead of being half full or half empty, you now receive a much more generous looking portion.
In life, by reframing a situation, by simply changing our expectations, we can change our attitudes and create more joy in our lives. Some of us expect so much from life that we cannot help but be left wanting – nothing is ever quite enough to satisfy. By expecting less (having a smaller cup), we will be more happy and content with the good things that come our way.
Picture and experience how this reframing of the half a cup question changes the answer; the cup is now over half full. You are encouraged to feel special, indeed fortunate and blessed. Can you picture or feel the joy and the calm of the fuller cup sensation, compared to either the half full or the half empty alternative?
If there is only one take away from everything I ever share with you, may it be this one:
Get a smaller cup, and relish its fullness.