Is your glass half empty or half full?

That’s the quintessential “Are you an optimist or a pessimist?” test.  And it’s true, of course, because the contents of the glass are the same either way. It’s our own perceptions that determine our conclusion. With apologies to Vince Lombardi, in this case it’s “attitude isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”

We’d all like to see the glass as half full. Our lives would be more pleasant if we did. So what makes it so difficult? Why is it sometimes easier to see what isn’t there than what is? I given a lot of thought to this question this week—put in lots of miles on the trail. And I’ve come up with what I think are the three biggest challenges we face in this regard. I’m going to call them the “3 Cs,” because—very conveniently—they all start with the letter “C.”  (And I promise I’m going to keep this—relatively—short. I know we’re all busy this week): [Read more...]