"Is the glass half-full? Or half-empty?"
Over the years, my stance on this question has changed. For a while, I wanted the glass to be half-full because I desperately tried to make myself believe that everything was sparkly and happy and that life would work out just the way I wanted it to. Then I entered college. After realizing that I wasn't always going to get what I wanted, I switched my viewpoint to the glass being half-empty. I couldn't stand happy-go-lucky people who constantly tried to smile their way through all of life's trials and tribulations. Finally, after a good long thought, I realized that this question is about nothing more than a glass and has nothing to do with a person's viewpoint or personality. It is just a glass. Nothing more and nothing less.
Being a realist has taught me to see life as it is, take the world for what it is, and not fall victim to the propaganda or misconception that the media or anyone else puts out there for us to believe. While I understand that most people in the world would like to say they're optimists, more often than not, every optimist has a realist deep down inside themselves.
At the end of the day, we all know that life can be a real Debbie Downer and things might not work out in our favor, but over time, we learn not to let those things hold us down. To me, realism means that life isn't perfect and just like the glass, it isn't always going to be half-full.
Believe me, I have nothing against optimists. I wholeheartedly believe in the bottom-of-the-ninth, two-outs comeback to win the game, and I spend hours watching YouTube clips from the 2011 Game Six World Series.
I go into every day with a mindset to make the most out of what I have. However, I also go into every day understanding that it is most likely not going to be straight out of a movie.
It's important to understand that people will let you down, lottery tickets may never bring you a fortune, and just because you treat people the way they deserve, they may not treat you the same way. It's also important to understand that we should look forward, see possibility, and find happiness in everyday.
Finding the balance between optimism and realism is essential to finding a balance in life. No matter which way you look at a glass of water, remember we all have to make the most of what we have.
