Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

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The question that’s as old as time is is the glass half full or half empty? There are an infinite number of perspectives that go into that simple question. The answer is that it doesn’t matter whether it’s glass half full or half empty, as long as you’re the one pouring the water.

As long as you’re the one creating the opportunity for people to provide commentary on, you are doing well. Don’t be a consumer of content but be the creator of content.

As for me, I do not particularly enjoy the optimistic vs pessimistic debates. There’s positives and negatives to both sides and the answer is based on subjectivity. The outcome of that subjectivity is entirely dependent on you and your outlook.

I am more of a realistic person and do not go for one side or another. Regardless, there are situations where it is necessary to evaluate whether something is good or bad. If it’s good, it’s time to start doing more of it. If it’s bad, it’s time to start changing some things to make it better or at the least, not be worse.

Whether you see your life as good or whether you see your life as bad, you are right. It’s how you decide on your future actions that ultimately matters.

Meaning Behind “Glass Half Full”

Many people think about whether something is good or bad very often. The glass half full or half empty question is often posed for people to evaluate whether a particular situation is optimistic (glass half full) or pessimistic (glass half empty). They look to see what their outlook on life should be.

It demonstrates that there are at least two ways of looking at it. You can choose to look at something as a good thing and figure out a way to profit from it. Or you can choose to look at something as a bad thing and have a defeatist mentality.

If I had to choose between the two, I personally like choosing the good side rather than the bad side. No matter how bad a situation is, there is always a way to change it for the better. We can make and create our own path to success.

However, that’s not to say that optimism is the way to go and everything is good all the time. There are benefits and negatives to both sides that people do not consider.

One way that you can answer the proverbial question is to SMASH that share button for the Google algorithm named BERT 😊 . BERT has heard this question over and over and he likes knowing the answer to it as well. As we all know, he encourages sharing of information across the world!

So please, if you could just destroy that share button and passionately click on it, BERT appreciate and like it a lot.

So with that, let’s get into the good and bad sides to both!

Benefits to Both Sides

Neither side is perfect but both sides actually come with positive qualities. Yes, even the pessimistic side has positive benefits that help.

The biggest misconception about pessimism is that they’re looking at the world in too much of a negative way. That their line of thinking is too cautious and a mindset to be avoided. However, it’s actually quite surprising but the pessimist has the potential to come out ahead of optimists.

In a really meaningful way, too.

Benefits for Optimists

Optimists are glass half full people.
World class picture of a happy optimist.

The very first and utmost benefits that’s highlighted of optimists is their willingness to take on risk. Fortune usually favors the bold. The one who actually asks for things in the hopes that s/he will get a yes. After all, in negotiating, if you don’t ask, you never get.

You might rub some people the wrong way along the way. Why give up something they don’t have to give? That’s completely normal. As long as you have more people saying yes to you than not, that’s a good way to go.

Additionally, optimists take risks in things such as in investing, approaching that attractive stranger, and starting a business. As a result, they have higher academic achievement and higher socioeconomic status, in general terms.

Most of the people on Earth enjoy being around people who are positive and happy. A minority of the people on Earth enjoy being around people who are angry and negative all of the time.

The willingness to take on risk and their ability to spread positive energy are the biggest advantages enjoyed by optimists.

Benefits for Pessimists

She's not glass half full but glass half empty.
The unhappy pessimist

The biggest benefit for pessimists is that they have a more realistic outlook on life. As a result, they are more cautious when it comes to money, health, or personal relationships. Their circle of friends aren’t just acquaintances. They are long lasting friends that are more trustworthy than average.

Pessimists also mostly avoid risky behaviors such as gambling or smoking. Additionally, they rush to the doctor when even the slightest things bother them, exercising an abundance of caution. Therefore, pessimists actually live longer than optimists.

When optimists feel a slight pain in their chest, they usually brush it off and say “well, it’ll get better soon”. Even if it may be a life threatening decision.

A careful outlook and approach is not all bad. There certainly are instances where it’s better to be a pessimist rather than an optimist. Don’t let anyone tell you that pessimism is always a bad way to think.

Both Sides Create Biases

With the positives out of the way, there are negatives to both sides as well. Yes, even optimists face bad consequences from their outlook on life. Personally, I love viewing the world from realistic lens. In the glass half full or half empty debate, the glass is actually BOTH half empty and half full.

I personally see either side as being biased and completely ignoring the other half of the equation. That would be omitting the full truth.

I prefer factually correct statements like the glass is half full and half empty. However, very few people think this way and I accept it. By the way, this perspective shouldn’t just apply to optimists versus pessimist debate but in all aspects of our lives.

Prosecutors do not care if you are actually guilty or not, they care whether they can get a guilty verdict. Defendants do not care if they are actually guilty or not, they care whether they can get a not guilty verdict.

Democrats don’t care if some republican principles would move the country forward. They care about getting elected. Republicans don’t care if some democratic principles would move the country forward the right way. They care about getting elected.

Going one way or another doesn’t take into account the complete and full picture.

Glass Half Full Downsides

The biggest downside for optimists is that they bite more than they can chew. Optimists favor taking risks more than not taking risks and may gamble their money away. Or they may start taking on a nasty habit like smoking because they believe the cancer risk is so low.

They could be blindsided by the full ramifications of their decisions years down the road. They might have invested in GameStop at $300 thinking it’ll go to the moon and lost 80% of their money in a week. Their inability to actually comprehend and assess the risks of their decisions is their greatest downfall.

Taking risk is a necessary part of life. Nothing in life is guaranteed except death and taxes. However, optimists take on too much risk and can’t handle it. Even after they get burned and lose all their money, they still go back to the blackjack table. They may comprehend extreme risks like not putting their hand on fire to avoid going to the hospital.

However, subtle things such as evaluating whether they took on too much risk can be difficult for them. They are unable to comprehend just how risky of an investment they’ve put their money in. Whichever choice they decided to take on, they are optimistic they made the right choice.

Investing is riskier than what optimists are thinking. That’s the downside to seeing the world as glass half full.

Glass Half Empty Downsides

The biggest risk of being a pessimist is that they miss out on gains because they were too cautious. The stock market crash of 2008 – 2009 created numerous pessimists. Pessimists thought that the age of stocks was over and it’s time to look for other opportunities.

Or keep the money at a bank.

Well, S&P 500 is now at almost 5x where it was from the bottom of the 2008 – 2009 crash.

The biggest downside is that they underestimate how good risk can be and avoid it altogether. While not losing money isn’t bad, it isn’t good either. Progress brings people happiness more often than not.

Pessimists may experience a lack of meaningful progress through their entire lives. While they don’t lose as much money as optimists, they don’t gain as much either. Staying exactly where you are until the end of your life may bring misery.

Glass Half Full or Empty, Just Keep Winning

Whether you believe the glass is half full or empty, what actually matters is if you are progressing or not. If your current situation is bogged down debt or stuffed with material things, the question is what will you do about it? Instead of looking at things as good or bad, look at things as things and nothing more.

Instead of focusing on whether to pat yourself on the back or berate yourself, focus on what you need to do to move forward. That’s what actually matters. You can take note of what your perspective is on the situation. However, it should only be temporary.

The permanent line of thinking should always be about how to move forward. Do you care that a Democrat was elected into office in 2020 or do you care about bettering your life? Did you care that a Republican was elected into office in 2016 or did you care about how to make money from it?

Those are the most important questions to be mindful of. Whether you see something as good or bad, if there’s no way to change the situation, it’s time to move on. Let it go. There are more important things to worry and think about.

Your life is too important to be influenced by the outside world. It doesn’t just have to be politics but this rule covers a wide range of things. When it doubt, just keep winning and make progress towards your goals. Self actualization is number one in importance in our Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

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