Four Men Walk Into A Bar...One Walks Out

Four men walk into a bar and order drinks. The first orders a glass half empty of vodka. The second orders just half a glass of vodka. The third orders half a glass of vodka with room for more should the opportunity arise while the fourth orders one half full . Four men: a pessimist, a realist, a dreamer and an optimist. Four identical drinks and four different interpretations of them.
I used to believe that there was quite a difference between these four men but the more I think about it the more I realize that there is a thin line between them. The Optimist and Dreamer share the idea that the glass can potentially hold more drink. While the Pessimist and Realist both share the idea that the glass lacks something. The thin difference between the latter of the two is that one sees things through negative eyes while the other sees things as they are. Nothing positive or negative about the glass. It‘s just half a glass.
The problem I see now is that seeing things just as they are can hide a negative outlook behind it. Seeing the glass as just half a glass means that he can‘t see potential for something more. And that is where the Pessimist and the Realist are connected. The lack of vision that there is something more to what he sees.
Now, the issue between the Optimist and the Dreamer is while the Optimist sees potential the Dreamer has no drive to make the potential a reality. The Optimist sees half the glass and makes the effort to fill it however he can. The Dreamer plans for filling the glass coming up with multiple ways that the glass can be filled. So many ways, he never tries to fill it- he only plans to do so. This may seem like the Dreamer should be related to the Pessimist and the Realist but the fact of the matter is the Dreamer still sees the opportunity even if he will never follow through.
I used to call myself a realist even though I was told time and again that I was really a pessimist at heart. I saw things as they were. Just being. Nothing special about them but also nothing awful about them as well. But that was the problem. I didn’t see any way that things could be more than what they were. A situation was just as it was. Independent of all other situations and there was no reason to look past what it was. And because of that attitude I was giving everything I did a sense of negativity without even realizing it. By not looking forward or considering the consequences or potential of every experience I gave the experience a negative vibe.
But how does one go from seeing things just as they are to seeing them with open eyes? How did I turn this half a glass from just being half to being half full?
It starts with recognizing each event as part of a chain of events. Nothing is disconnected. Nothing is alone in reality. Whatever I did would put in motion the events that would follow. In order to see things through optimistic eyes I had to envision the potential for something more than what was in front of me and make it more than what it was. For example, if I wanted to travel I had to plan the trip. But not just plan it like the Dreamer but actually take the steps to make the trip happen. And each step is a continuation of the last. As I finish one step I would be preparing for the next without realizing it. This is essentially how the Realist becomes the Optimist. He has to look past what it is he is doing in the moment to see what it is he is working towards.
Another example: if you want a promotion, you don’t just expect that it will happen, you do what is necessary to make the promotion a potential reality. You talk to the person in charge of the promotion, take the initiative to work harder, dress for the position, etc. Instead of planning and waiting- you plan and do. This is the key to making all things possible- PLAN AND DO.
A man wants to fly but knows he can’t (the Pessimist) because men just can’t fly (the Realist). He draws pictures of himself with wings (the Dreamer) and then makes wings so he can fly (the Optimist). The man doesn’t fly by doing nothing. He dreams up the idea and then does what he must to succeed. The pessimist stops seeing things negatively and sees them for what they are and becomes the Realist. The Realist plans to make things more than what they are and becomes the Dreamer. And the Dreamer sets his plans in motion becoming the Optimist. The man has to take the steps to go from the Pessimist to the Optimist.
As each event is connected so is each of the men at the bar. In order for the Pessimist to become the Optimist he has to envision that glass being more than half empty and then make it full. All of the men are connected by simply being more than just being. If we see the potential for something more that what is than we can make it happen
Again, it’s all about planning and doing. If you want something to happen you have to take steps to make it happen. You can not be President by sitting on your backside. You have to strive to become the President. Make it known that you want to be President, make it official, campaign and so on. You don’t become the leader of a nation by sitting in your living room watching others make things happen.
But let’s not forget that just because you want something to happen and you take the steps to make it happen means that what you want will happen. Sometimes, you may fail. But the difference between the Pessimist and the Optimist is the Optimist sees each failure as a lesson to be learned and each defeat as something to overcome. Where the Pessimist gives in and accepts defeat, the Pessimist keeps marching on to new challenges. This is a lesson within itself that everyone must learn. We cannot give in when things get hard or when we lose if we ever expect to achieve more out of life. You didn’t learn to walk by trying once and giving up when you fell. You kept getting up and trying and eventually you were walking.
As a child, we are all optimistic but somewhere along the line some of us switch and lose that sense of anything is possible. But we can all be optimistic if we learn to see our failures not as losses but examples of what not to do. Thomas Edison tried hundreds of different things before coming up with the light bulb and instead of saying that he failed hundreds of times he said he figured out a hundred ways of how not to make a light bulb. this is the attitude we must adopt in order to make the shift from pessimist to optimist.
You have to see life as a series of challenges that we either defeat or learn from. Each loss is a chance for another win. Each win is a step to a greater win. All things are connected. I believe that this is the ultimate theme that I want to convey to you. See things as a continuation of the last instead of a separate event and life will have more meaning and far more rewards. Take each defeat and create something more from it. Become a greater person by envisioning greater things and making them happen. Adversity in the face of tragedy. Don’t fail a hundred times, figure out a hundred ways of how not to succeed and then success is just one more step away.