The Glass is Half-Empty
Some of the water spilled. Someone drank on my glass of water. Or there isn't
enough water on the pitcher to fill the glass. Whichever reason, still my glass is half empty!
It may not be enough for me. It may not quench my thirst fully. And darn that person who drank some of my water! Is this how you react to a glass of water which is half-filled, or in this case, half-emptied? If you are, your mind is full of negative thoughts. You even cursed a person who drank some of the water in your glass which you are not even sure of. You are filled with opinions that something bad has happened to the water. What's worse is, they are not even proven to be true and yet you believe them.
Negative thinking, the exact opposite of positive one, is a way of looking at, not
necessarily the bad, but definitely not the good things in life. Everything that has
happened is due to some undesirable cause. Or if something is not yet happening, you
think of something bad that might take place. Your mind is full of worries, fears,
discomforts, and you keep asking questions with what if's.
This kind of thinking is also powerful. It is generated by the mind isn't it? And
the mind is empowering, right? Therefore, negative thinking has its own power. Yes, the
same power as positive thinking - power to mold our personality, power to shape our
future, and power to create our destiny. The only difference is the outcome it will bring
about. So, if positive thinking brings positive reality, does negative thinking bring about
negative reality? Do you think so? Well, let's see.
Negative thoughts, as how we have described in an earlier chapter, are due to
mistakes, unpleasant incidents, embarrassing moments, and wrong decisions that have
been experienced by the individual. Similar to plant seeds, these unlikable ideas were
buried deep in his minds. As they grow and flourish, they remain hindrances in his ability
to be someone and to do something. This is where his fears start to develop, slowly take
over his strengths - physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual - and eventually, remove
his self-confidence and trust in himself. Then, from here, it wouldn't be far until he starts
saying the words that would destroy his dreams, I can't, and worse, acting the
unwillingness it implies, I won't.
Usually, we prefer to stay in a place where everything is safe and secure and
where dangers are low and minimal. For instance, one may avoid joining competitions
because he knows he can't win. Or instead of courting a gorgeous girl, one settles to be
with someone not so pretty because he knows he can't win over the prettier girl. But this
is also where we realize the vastness of our limitations. Because of this, we can conclude
that we have already lost even before we begin, and we already failed even before we
tried. What we don't usually know is that the greatest failure in life is not losing, but not
trying at all. After all, who knows? No one can really say what could happen in the
competition or with that gorgeous girl until he tried, right?
This is the power of negative thinking. It makes one unattractive because he
believes that he can't be good-looking. It gives one an awful future because he believes
that he can't find a job and earn enough money. It lets one stay single and alone because
he believes that he can't win friends or find true love. And because he can't, he won't.
Remember? Mind power implies will power. And since the mind power is negative, the
will power is reluctant.
Funny how ignorance sometimes can be blessings in disguise because it becomes
a way for someone to keep on trying. There are instances where people say, "I really
don't understand the question. So, I just guessed my answers," or "I know I'm not good
at speeches so I wrote what I have to say and will just read it in front." Because of simple
and little ways of attempts, we can say that these people are more superior and will likely
to succeed farther than those who don't try at all.
