The Ryan Leak Podcast - Grateful For The Glass People

Episode Date: March 17, 2025

In this episode of The Ryan Leak Podcast, Ryan flips the script on the classic glass-half-full vs. glass-half-empty debate and introduces a third, more powerful mindset: being grateful for the glass. Whether you're naturally optimistic, a self-proclaimed realist, or somewhere in between, this episode will challenge you to shift your perspective and find gratitude in what you do have—no matter how much or little that may be. From work and relationships to parenting, politics, and everyday struggles, Ryan offers practical ways to embrace gratitude in every area of life. Because sometimes, the key to joy isn’t in what’s in your glass, but in simply having one at all.Short, sweet, and packed with inspiration—this is one you’ll want to share with a friend.Rate, review, and subscribe to help spread the word!

Welcome to the Ryan League podcast where we keep things short and sweet. And I believe that today's episode is absolutely going to add value to your life. I am going to give you a perspective that regardless of your personality, I think it is going to change the way you see just about everything. You see, we live in a world that loves to categorize people. You know, we've got personality tests, social media quizzes, leadership assessment. We've got labels for everything. And one of the most common ways that I think we categorize people is,

are you a glass half-full person or a glass-half-empty person? If you see the glass as half-full, congratulations. You're the positive one, the optimist, the one who finds the silver lining in every situation. But if you see the glass is half-empty, well, you're a realist. Some might call you a pessimist. but you might prefer the term practical thinker. Or as some of my pessimist friends say, I'm the only one who keeps it real.

I keep it 100, as some would say. And those two categories is how we've been conditioned to think. Either you're full of hope or full of doubt. Either you're seeing possibilities or you're seeing problems. But today, I want to introduce a third category because I think there's another way to look at the glass. I think there's another way to look at life. Instead of asking if the glass is half full or half empty,

what if we simply said, I'm just grateful to have a glass of water at all? I want you to think about that for a second. There are people in this world who don't have clean water, people who don't have access to opportunity, people who don't have the privileges or resources that we take for granted every single day. So today I want to challenge you to shift your mindset. Don't be a glass half full person or a glass half empty person.

Be a grateful for the glass person. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it changes everything. You see, people assume that I'm just naturally positive, that I was born with this happy go lucky personality. Like I just wake up every morning feeling like I'm in a Disney movie. That's not true. I'm not just a happy person.

I'm a grateful person. and my friends gratitude is a choice and it's a choice that has changed my entire life a while ago my wife and I were talking with a friend

and we were having a conversation about morning people versus night people and some people are I need my coffee people and some people are like no I need my energy drink people and so on and so forth and so we asked her friend I said hey are you a morning person or a night person she smiled and she said

I'm an all day person And I thought, I didn't even know that was an option. But guess what? It is. And I love that because I just want you to imagine being someone who embraces every part of the day, every season of life, not because everything is perfect, but because you've made the choice to be grateful for whatever is in front of you. You might love your job. You might hate your job. But instead of focusing on what you wish was different, be grateful that you have a job at all.

The people who drive you crazy at work, do you know how many people would love to have people getting on their nerves right now? Some people would be grateful for your biggest problems. Be grateful for the glass person. Maybe you're frustrated with politics. Let me tell you something. I know Republicans who are always mad. I know Democrats who are always mad. Here's the deal.

If politics is your thing, guess what? There will always be something to be mad about. But I just have to wonder what it would look like, how incredible it is that we even live in a place where we get to have debates and discussions and disagreement. That in and of itself is a privilege. I am grateful for this country that often feels divided. I'm grateful that we get to have discourse over this. I'm grateful that we get to go back. and forth on things that matter to us and I get to listen to you and perhaps you listen to me

and we can grow our perspectives and our world gets a little bit bigger. I'm grateful for the glass. I'm grateful for the country. If you have kids, they might be loud, exhausting, and unpredictable. They might test your patience. They might push every button you got and then all of a sudden you find out you got new buttons you didn't even know existed. But there are parents out there who would give anything to hear the sound of little feet running through their house again. So be grateful for the noise. Marriage isn't always easy. Some days you might feel like you're on top of the world together, and other days you might feel like two ships passing in the night. But what if instead of focusing on the challenges you became grateful for the person you get to navigate life with?

Maybe your living situation is an idea. Maybe your house is too small. Your neighbors are too close or your rent keeps going up. But my friend, if you're sleeping with a roof over your head, you have something someone is desperately praying for. Look, here's a deal. I'm not saying that gratitude makes all of life's challenges disappear, but I am saying that it gives you a different lens to look through. We all have struggles. We all have things that frustrate us. But before you let that frustration win, before you spend another moment wishing things were different, ask yourself, what if I just chose to be grateful for the glass? No matter how much or how little is in it,

the fact that you have a glass at all is a gift. And that perspective, my friend, I believe, will absolutely change your life. Today I challenge you to be a grateful for the glass person. Thanks for listening to the Rion League podcast. If today's episode inspired you, don't keep it to yourself. Share it with a friend. and hey, I send out an encouraging text message every Monday

until about 20,000 people that are subscribed to it. And if you'd like to sign up for those, you can text podcast to 469-1201, and you'll start getting text messages from me as soon as it's Monday, and less today's Monday, and you're listening to this on a Monday. So you can text podcast to 469-809-1-201,

and you'll start getting text messages from me. Oh, and also, if you're enjoying these episodes, would you please let me know? you can text feedback to that same number 469, 809-1-101. That number and how you get those text messages will also be in the show notes. If there are subjects and questions you love for me to cover in future episodes, the reality is I do this podcast to add value to your life. So hit me up on the text or social media platforms

that I'd love to record an episode, aspire by you. Hey, it would also mean the world to me if you would take a minute to rate, review, and subscribe. Your support helps us reach even more people with these short and sweet nuggets. Inspiration. Thanks for being a part of the journey, and I'll see you next time.