The Cynic in Us

It's easy to do. We've been burned, we've had disappointments. Sometimes it's easier to just expect the worst and then we won't have high hopes. Yet, when we do this, we might self-sabotage a situation, or only look at situations with pessimistic eyes instead of seeing perhaps any value from the outcome. Then when the negative results come, we match it with the expectations we had, further cementing our belief in a negative world. We also continue to build the walls around our hearts and close ourselves off to anything positive.

It's a cycle and a habit. Both get stronger until we make the conscious decision to stop.

Beth Nickerson delivered a speech at an Arizona State University graduation with this message:

"One of my personal projects has been to try to reduce my cynicism by seeing the glass as half-full. If I later find out the glass is indeed half-empty after all, the worst result will have been I spent a few years being wrong but happy. That's a risk I'm willing to take. And the great thing is that whether the glass is half-full or half-empty, I can always get a refill."

How will you look at things today?