Glass Half Full
3 07 2008
I’m having a wonderful time! I started this humble blog with one main intention - to connect with like-minded individuals out there - and that’s what my Guides have been bringing me. It’s amazing how these people just pop into my life within the past few weeks. Life has been very busy, but so exciting … love that exchange of energy!
Through the course of my spiritual work and interactions with others, I have noticed a common trait among us. I get the following questions in almost every conversation I’ve had with people:
- What’s wrong with me?
- Why can’t I see or hear or feel like you?
- You mean I can actually DO that? But I’m not gifted like you.
Hmmm … first of all, I feel I’m no different from anyone I’ve met. For a start, I ask the same questions about myself too! Sure I’m trained in Soul Realignment™ work, I can see my Guide, Norman - who, by the way, impulses me in several ways so I don’t ALWAYS see him. In fact, through my conversations with people, I discover that everyone has at least a gift that’s different from mine. Most people are just either not aware of their gifts, or they do not want to acknowledge them. I meet people who can draw beautiful pictures, speak in tongues, write words that can heal, perform mudras during meditation, see auras, sing like angels, look like models, have business instincts so sharp they can cut through diamonds … gosh the list goes on and on! And you know what … I don’t have ANY of those gifts! Hmmm, and they ask me what’s wrong with them and tell me they’re not gifted like me … very interesting!
So do I ask what’s wrong with me? YES I do, all the time. I’m here to learn, I’m not perfect, just like everyone else. There is one thing I do that has made a difference in my life though. I’ve learnt that we need to start asking also, “What’s right with me?”. Start finding the little things that you’re happy about yourself, your “gifts”, no matter how weird they may seem to you. With every “what’s wrong with me?” question, match that with a “what’s right with me” discovery. It does not have to be an answer to your question, but if you do this long enough, you’ll start to accumulate a nice little list of your “gifts”. This is all about embracing yourself - all the good and bad - and knowing that you are both “wrong” and “right”. 
Yeah, I’m a “glass half full” person. I feel this is aligned to living a life of gratitude. I have been on the other side before. Looking at my glass, going ”gosh, it’s half empty” and then running amock in a state of panic, trying to find out if the glass is leaking, or if someone else drank from my glass … I can identify with that side of me too, but I don’t enjoy it. It’s just not productive and does not contribute to my growth. I prefer to count my blessings. Even if there are few … it’s better than none!
Try letting go of all that you think is “wrong” about you, and start seeing your glass as half full. What’s there to lose? It’s free! Give it enough time … you’ll be surprised at how all the “right” things within you will start sprouting out to say hello.
Blessings,
Irene
Subscribe in a Reader
Subscribe by Email
Follow me on Twitter
You pointed out a very important point to me with your post: the lack of trust that I can have a special gift. I’ve been hoping that this gift will be a spiritual one, by conventional definitions. However, essentially, every gift be it drawing pictures, saying healing words or singing like angels can have a spiritual dimension to it. Well, we’ll see how my spiritual experience will be like, in the weeks to come.
Evelyn
Hi Irene.
I enjoyed this post. Thank you. I’m normally a glass half full person, but I see I have spilled over to the other point of view. At the moment, nothing resonates with me, except for writing. No job. No prospects…. except for FEAR. Yuck!
It’s a long story, but I wanted to say that I appreciate reading your post. It is soooo true, and even better when it can become a reality in one’s life. It has exercised truth in my past and I remain open to a cup that runneth over!
Another deep breath…. then another step….
Hi Evelyn,
You already have spiritual gifts … look at your blog and the lives it has touched!
Yes, our trust can be affected when we limit our perceptions to “conventional definitions”. We are spirits having a human experience. Every act of kindness, spark of love and intention of reaching out to help others is already an acknowledgement of your spirituality. Don’t stop … you are doing great!
Hi Davina,
Thank you! Fear has become such a common enemy, hasn’t it?
I know exactly what you mean - I have been there so many times before and I know life will keep sending me reminders as I go along. I am so glad you’ve chosen to stay “open”. Love that last statement - “another deep breath … then another step”!
Irene,
I get similar questions from people often. The curious thing I’ve noticed, though, is that a lot of peole aren’t even itnerested in discovering their gifts. They’d rather keep telling themselves that there is a barrier separating them from people who actually do iinteresting things in life, bring their projects to completion and are constantly doing something interesting.
I guess embracing one’s gifts and taking on the responsibility of using them to the fullest… that’s the hardest part anyone ever has to face.
Hey Vitor, you are absolutely right! It really wasn’t easy for me to embrace my own gifts and use them openly too. I remember the first time I looked at your artworks and thought, “gosh, these are beautiful … I wish I could do that!”.
In the end, it’s all about coming to terms with ourselves, and having the courage to recognize our own worth. Once that happens, our gifts will just flow out naturally.
Hi Irene,
I always feel that I have no talent, no gift. I don’t play piano, I don’t look pretty, I don’t sing well, I don’t know how to skate, I don’t +++, it goes on. So many “I don’t” in my head. You are very right that these thoughts do nothing good but make us feel lousy. Recently, I started opening another door in me, peeping what’s good on the other side. The curiosity is great! It excites me to know that I have something good in me to explore, to admire.
Shaking off the old and negative identity that has been following me for many years is a challenge. Creating a good and positive one is yet another greater challenge. But I am going to do it! I will take a stick and start stirring the stagnant pond within me!
Irene, thank you for the words in your blog and in other things that you do. I think you are great
!!
Hi Poey Han,
Thank you! Yes shaking old habits of negativity or self-doubt is indeed very challenging, but not impossible! Sometimes all it takes is a shift in perspective. I personally feel that being “stagnant” can be a result of lack of confidence or even fear of embracing one’s own abilities, so much that it cripples the individual from wanting to take action. Your comment does show that you have so much within you that you’re just beginning to discover - congratulations! I’m glad this article resonates with you.
Your post made me smile because I thought of something my mother said to me one day. (I call her odd comments Janet-ims). They have an old house, and I am extremely uncomfortable in the upstairs hall, to the point of almost an anxiety attack. (One of my gifts is to sense the vibe in a room). One day, my mother had someone over who stopped in the upstairs hall and told my mother there was a older gentleman having some sort of medical distress in the exact spot where I panic. My mother, in relaying the story, said “You are good, but she was way more talented than you!” The old Urban Panther would have been offended. The comfortable with her own unique gifts Urban Panther just chuckled and wrote it off as another Janet-ism.
Hi “comfortable with her own unique gifts” Urban Panther! This is cool … and it does remind me of people in my life who’ve said similar “Janet-ism” stuff to me.
It’s amazing what a world of difference it can make when we embrace our gifts and be at peace with ourselves. Choosing to be offended or to just chuckle and write it off is a nice measurement on our own comfort level with self. Thanks for popping by!
Irene, what a wonderful gift this article is. Some gifts seem so common place that we may not even think of them as gifts, such as being a good listener or being a good conversationalist or being a good parent or being a good friend. Those gifts are just as important as being a good artist or musician or writer. Sometimes those ordinary gifts can even be more important.
You made my day when you left your comment on my blog earlier. Thank you so much.
Patricia, you are so welcome and thank you for your comments here too! To me, it’s about recognizing the little good things in us too, not just the big ones. They all add up to something substantial and beautiful. You’re right - ordinary gifts can be more important, depending on how we see them.
I’m a “the glass is half-full” kinda guy. But I wasn’t always that way..no-siree I wasn’t. What happened? I woke up one day and realized that I have a choice: 1.) let other peoples perception of me manifest itself into reality, or 2.) decide for myself what my future will be. I chose #2.
Since then I’ve embraced each day with an optimistic outlook. Sure life still has it’s challenging moments, but again, I choose to do something about it.
Hi Ricardo,
That’s cool … I love it when I meet people like you! I guess many “glass half full” people didn’t really have the best of life circumstances to start with … at least I know I didn’t. Sometimes I feel that’s what makes us appreciate the good things in life even more. It’s all about making that choice towards a better outlook, and then manifesting it from there. Thanks for stopping by!
Great post Irene! That’s wonderful how you point out how everyone has their own unique qualities.
Hi Ariel,
I truly believe everyone is gifted in their own way. There is usually at least one ability that someone else has that I don’t. Everyone serves Spirit in their own unique way so why not just embrace whatever way we know?
[...] Glass Half Full [...]
Irene, you introduced with the question you can:
# Why can’t I see or hear or feel like you?
# You mean I can actually DO that? But I’m not gifted like you.
Wow, you are blessed!
Because most of the people I talk to are not open to the spiritual realm. They are so involved in their mind strategies and their striving for success and security, that is is a) mumbo-jumbo or b) dangerous.
Regarding the glass half-full idea: yes, I believe everyone has gifts. They have to be developed and nurtured. I think there is a stepping point in personal growth and that is the point where we talke responsebility for ourself and make that more important than what the outside world tells us. It’s the Inside-Out approach. To get there is important to find and believe in our own abilities and gifts.
Hi Myrko,
Very well said! Self love is a powerful tool to leverage on to activate that inner recognition of our own gifts. Without that, it will be very difficult to see past the limitations that the world imposes on us.
[...] Glass Half Full “I’ve learnt that we need to start asking also, ‘What’s right with me?’. Start finding the little things that you’re happy about yourself, your ‘gifts’, no matter how weird they may seem to you.” [...]