McLeod Law Offices

There seems to be a trend to see our country’s economic problems through the lens of a glass containing several ounces of a beverage that is approximately 50% of what the container will hold.  Some will look and say the glass is half empty.  Those folks are perceived as pessimists.  Others, including our President, view the glass as half full.  That view is considered more optimistic.  I have a very different take on all of it.

Let’s assume that the beverage is water.  The conventional wisdom (which apparently is now being debated) is that you need 8 glasses of water each day.  Thus, if I am looking at half of a glass of water, I’m not thinking “by golly, it’s half full!”  Instead, I’m thinking “where the heck are the other 7 ½ glasses?”  Surely, I can enjoy that half-full glass.  But sooner or later, I’ll be thirsty again and if I do not find more water, I could slip into dehydration and then things could just get uglier from there.

Recently, a prospective client called me to discuss their business problems.  Over the last several years, the client had made major investments into what he miscalculated as a growing business.  Additional locations were added, staff was increased, and overhead costs exploded.  The problem was that the revenue of the business depended exclusively on consumers who have disposable income and have a budget that provides for recreational spending.  Needless to say, business was not going according to the original plan.

He told me his goal was reorganizing the business.  After exploring a few options with him on the phone and learning more details about his situation, I asked if  - as a part of his reorganization – he had considered pairing down his business to a more manageable or fiscally feasible model.  He didn’t like that idea.  I reminded him that it was important to consider a ‘Plan B.’

Before we ended our conversation he was kind enough to share with me this gem: “You know, I think need to work with someone who like me, sees the glass as half-full.”

Really?

I appreciate the need for remaining positive.  Being positive is what helps us all get out of bed in the morning.  However, I also appreciate the need for being realistic.

Imagine your waiter bringing over a lovely cheese soufflé and then asking him, ‘is this fattening?’  If the waiter wants you to feel good and still eat the dish you ordered, he’ll say something like ‘of course not’, or perhaps something wry such as ‘only if you eat it on Sunday, and since today is Wednesday, you’re ok.’  It would make you feel better about eating it, but it you cannot really say it was being particularly realistic…unless you really believed that eating certain foods on certain days of the week somehow affects their caloric value and fat content, which is far, far beyond what I am capable of commenting on.

On the other hand, if your waiter respects that your need for information is fueled by a desire to make an informed decision (and hopefully the best one), the answer you get will be honest. After all, do you call a bankruptcy attorney because you want an straightforward assessment of the issues facing your life and what you can do about them? Or are you looking for someone else that will look at that half-glass of water and tell you what you want to hear?

Perhaps this is a better question: are you  better off believing that things are better than they really are?  Or are you better off with honest answers to tough questions so you can make the best and sound decisions for you and your family?  The bottom line, it really doesn’t matter whether the glass is half-full or half-empty.  What matters is what’s in the glass, and whether you can, should, or want to drink it.

And that decision, as difficult as it may be, is entirely yours to make.  But you cannot make it without the right information.