Is your glass half-empty
or half-full?
You’ve heard the expression, but have you ever applied it to
yourself...or a situation you have been in? Think about it. How
old are you- 18, 20, 22? I can only assume you are a student
attending a tri-state area institution of higher learning.
Wherever you go, that alone is a cause to celebrate that your
glass is “half-full.” Why? Because whatever major you have
chosen for yourself indicates to family and friends that you have a set path
to achieve certain goals for yourself. Whether you attend John Jay College to
enter police enforcement or Nassau Community College to become a nurse,
you are on the way!
Think of your acquaintances from high school who were unfocused and/
or confused. Although it is perfectly normal to have such feelings as you
enter adulthood, you still owe it to yourself (as the U.S. Army says) to “Be
All That You Can Be.” Those of your friends who may have dropped out of
high school before graduating, or who got caught up in alcohol or drug use
are being “Far Less Than They Should Be.”
Another reason to smile in life and know your cup is “half-filled” is
obvious to your professors who are 40 years of age. You see, teaching for
many years (in my case, 40!) provides an individual with life, business and
personal experiences. Some are, of course, successful, but others can be
deemed a miserable failure.
But what YOU have going in your young lives is the gift of TIME. You
can make a mistake... register for a wrong course, take a boring or meanspirited
professor in error, choose the wrong major, make the wrong career
choice or fail in a business venture. But who cares? You have TIME to come
back. Trust me on this one!
As I see it, so many young people today (perhaps you?) lack the patience
to wait. You want the latest high-tech gizmo YESTERDAY. You strive to drive
a BMW or Lexus TODAY.
Image via Campus News
You max-out credit cards to buy clothes and “bling” to look good, but at
what expense? Instant gratification does not and WILL NOT ever make your
cup “half-full.”
Believe me. I am not just blowing smoke in your direction. Life isn’t
smoke and mirrors- it’s the real thing!
Take the ride, enjoy the journey, and laugh all along the way. I do.
By Jack K. Mandel
Professor, Nassau Community College
QNS.COM
38 SPRING 2019
/QNS.COM