Life Is An Opportunity

Devlyn Steele

Webster's Dictionary definition of opportunity:

"A good chance for advancement or progress."

Is the glass half full or half empty?

We have all heard that question posed a million times as a metaphor for how we see life. The half filled glass is life. If we are a pessimist we see the glass half empty. If we are an optimist we see the glass half full. The question has become so common in mainstream society that you are referred to as a "glass half empty" person whenever you say something negative.

In truth, this question is completely flawed. The question fails to address what life represents. In fact, asking the question means that you believe life can be one or the other; half full or half empty. Life cannot be a half filled glass of water, because life can never be half empty. Life must be a glass of water that is filled completely and, in addition, there is a pitcher of water waiting to refill it.

How is that possible?

To state such a thing must make me an extreme optimist. I must just see everything through "rose colored glasses." No matter what is wrong, I think life is a glass full of water with a pitcher waiting to refill it. That's the funny thing; we all know that life has an endless amount of obstacles, pains and agonies.  How can I see it as completely full, all of the time?

This is the wrong question to ask because there are only two possibilities and they are not about a glass being half full or half empty; the possibilities are either life or death. Life represents opportunity. As long as you are in the game of life you have an opportunity to take action, put in effort and create change; no matter what obstacles, pains or agonies you encounter .

Webster's Dictionary defines opportunity as "a good chance for advancement or progress," and every day you have exactly that. Every day that you are alive, you have the chance to advance your situation from where you are and create positive forward progress.

If you don't have a job, you can put your resume together. That, in itself, is progress. You can get more education or training; again more progress. You can search job sites and, again, that is progress. You can go on interviews and, again, that is progress. Some may say that not having a job makes the glass half empty, but the glass in life is never empty at all: you have the chance to advance or make progress every day, and, as such, every day is an opportunity.

The same is true with your weight, savings, relationships and other areas of your life. Every day you can make progress in your life situations. Every day you can make your life better. Every day you wake up, you wake up with that possibility. Every day you wake up with a full glass of water and a pitcher of water waiting to refill it. Every day you wake up is a great day, because every day you have the possibility to advance or make progress. So drink your glass of water and make choices to advance and make progress. Don't worry how much you drink from your glass in any day; that pitcher is there and it will keep your glass full.  When you wake up every day, no matter what is happening, you know you have a chance to improve your life, which makes it a great day because life is an opportunity!