Refillable, as in the ability to be replenished, has to be one of the most optimistic words I can think of.

When the coffee has all been chugged, the ice cream has all be inhaled, or the treats have all been taken, it may be a downer. You may feel depleted, but that doesn’t mean you are defeated. It means you have an opportunity to scavenge for something sweeter, saltier, or just a bit more savory.

Let me give an example of how easy it is to tap into some positive purpose when your energy cup is empty.

My 7 year-old son has started reading chapter books and it is ROUGH. He struggles with phonetics and may have a hole in his attention span reservoir. He loves the book we are reading (Ready Freddy!: Shark Tooth Tale By: Abby Klien), but EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT. we struggle, cry, throw fits, and read in a slow, robotic cadence through the chapters. Last night was no exception. The enthusiasm was not flowing for my boy, but once he read the next chapter title things turned around.

Chapter 4 – “If You Have Lemons, Make Lemonade” was all about Freddy finding ways to make money to buy a fossilized megalodon tooth (My son is obsessed with megalodons and lemonade stands.) Freddy’s elderly neighbor Mrs. Golden had broken her ankle but still had a friendly dog that needed walking. Her situation was a bummer, but my son started understanding that even sad situations can lead to happy opportunities. Freddy was able to help Mrs. Golden care for her dog AND earn money towards the purchase of that precious megalodon tooth.

By the time we finished Chapter 4, he was pleading with me to help him read Chapter 5. So we did.

Just when I thought I had gotten the last drop of attention from my son, he overflowed with enthusiasm for the book. He had allowed his interest to be renewed by giving the story a chance. You can do the same.

It doesn’t matter what was in your proverbial cup, there is almost always a way to refill it with the enthusiasm, attention, compassion, self-control, or optimism.

Yes, we often want to chuck life’s lemons back at whatever situation we are in, but we have to remember that putting positive purpose behind our reactions will always aid us as we refill our Intentergy.

“People who wonder if the glass is half empty or half full miss the point. The glass is refillable.”

Your purpose is refillable. Your Intentergy is refillable. Always remember YOU are that most optimistic of words: refillable.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. A Megalodon is a gigantic, prehistoric ancestor to the great white shark. The only remains that have been found of these extinct creatures are the monstrous jaws and teeth.