The pessimist looks at a half empty glass and is concerned with what is not there. An optimist look at the same half full glass and focuses on what is actually there. A good engineer wonders what the heck is wrong with both of them and begins immediately to work on a new glass.
Sometimes in life things are not bad, they are not good, they are just right. You are where you are supposed to be and you have what you are supposed to have.
Now this doesn’t mean that you’re stuck here. It doesn’t mean that you don’t want grader things and you can be disciplined enough to get them. What it means is that sometimes we look at where we are through the lens of where we want to be and more times than not this doesn’t help us to push further. It doesn’t help us to persevere when things get difficult and mundane.
Sometimes we need a new glass. We need to engineer a new way of looking at things so that we know exactly where we are and have a more accurate idea of where we still need to go.
We need a new glass. A glass that is full. One that doesn’t give us the opportunity to waste a single moment as to the state of the world.
Perception is a funny things sometimes.
When you put a stick into water it either breaks the laws of nature and bends itself, or it remains the same but our perception of it changes. We can so easily embrace and understand this scientifically. We love it infinitely more when we find our perception trifled with win a good magic trick. Yet we don’t look at our lives and make sound decisions knowing that the way things appear to be, might not be the way they are.
We need to reframe how we see ourselves and how we see the world around us. The only consistent thing about everything is that everything is extremely inconsistent. We are still looking to solve Pi, and not once have witnesses of an accident relayed the truth of the incident. They always see it the way they are supposed to see it, through their own distorted but beautiful rose coloured glasses.
Don’t worry so much about where you are. Be aware of it. Grow more confident in what your strengths and weaknesses are, but don’t worry so much what things mean. Don’t worry at all really. Focus your energy and your hard work at what needs to be done next. Don’t get stuck on what was, and don’t imagine a world that will never come to be.
You’re perfectly imperfect being who you are. You are taking the necessary steps to get to where you want to go. You are getting after your dreams, and in case you are not, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot begin to do so right at this very moment.
Go and redesign your dreams. Re-engineer how you see yourself and what glass you are seeing. This isn’t simple, its not fast, and it is not without cost. But you can handle much complexity, the speed with which you get what you want doesn’t really matter, and you have an abundance of riches. You are great beyond measure. Full of unbelievable talents. So don’t worry about the cost either.
Cover photo generously provided by photographer Joseph Greve.
