Glass half full or empty has been an on going debate since rational thought became important. So which is the better way to live? Is it better to see the empty side of things so you are not going to be caught short of cash or love? Perhaps from the full side of things, it may look like you are living in “la-la land” without a grip on reality. So which is better, you ask?

I contend that the half full option offers the most benefit. Our reptilian brain which is technically the amygdala, supports us by evaluating the danger all around us. This is called the “negativity bias”. This is a great tool that our brain provides us with to help us evaluate danger and which safety measure to use- flight or fight. Regardless of whether it is a saber tooth tiger or a relationship, we evaluate them from the perspective of fear. The fear of pain, the fear of loss, the fear of embarrassment, the fear of failure and of course the fear of not being loved or not being worthy.

What fear creates is a shell around us to protect us and prevents us from growing, exploring, changing, learning. We have to step past our fear of these things and risk the danger so that our lives can be richer and we can do more in our lives.

If the glass is half full, we can keep fear in it’s rightful place. We always have room in that glass to grow, always room to expand who we are and make difference. We can be grateful for what we do have and not sad for what we are missing out on or what we fear.

“No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an unchartered land, or opened a new heaven in the human spirit”

Helen Keller