Is the glass half empty or half full?

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Is the glass half empty or half full? is a common expression, used rhetorically to indicate that a particular situation could be a cause for optimism (half full) or pessimism (half empty); or as a general litmus test to simply determine if an individual is an optimist or a pessimist. The purpose of the question is to demonstrate that the situation may be seen in different ways depending on one's point of view and that there may be opportunity in the situation as well as trouble. This idiom is used to explain how people perceive events and objects. Perception is unique to every individual and is simply one's interpretation of reality.

I mention this today as I look around me and see how the economy is taking its toll on everything. Businesses everywhere closing their doors, filing for bankruptcy, letting staff go. Families cutting back on spending, vacations, groceries. The cost of things going up and the means by which one pays for them is going down. Many of our fellow printers have closed their doors or merged with other companies. I have witnessed business associates struggle to find new direction amidst all the unknown.

Sitting here, thinking about these things, I found myself reflecting back on advice I recently gave to a friend of mine...the glass is half full. Perhaps I am being naive or not looking at the forest through the trees. But it bears heavy on one's soul to worry day after day, about things which may be beyond one's control. I often try to see the positive side of things, looking for the silver lining so to speak. Yes, the economy is rough right now, but I have a good job, family and friends and I have my health. When things get tough, I just try harder.

My philosophy is simple: the time spent worrying and complaining about what isn't happening can be better spent making something happen. I choose to believe the glass is half full, full of things I have done and room for the things I will do. And here at AccuLink we follow that philosophy – thinking up new ways to grow our business and expand our offerings – finding opportunities to fill the other half of the glass. I often think of this quote by Abraham Lincoln: Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing. We have an obligation to our customers, our partners, and our employees and we will keep on trying harder, never giving up.

How do you see it? Half full or half empty?