We've all heard the classic descriptions of different perspectives of a glass of water:

• The optimist sees the glass as half full.
• The pessimist sees the glass as half empty.

But then I got to wondering how many other perspectives I could come up with. Let's see how I do:

Bulldog perception:

Once in a while you will stumble upon the truth but most of us manage to pick ourselves up and hurry along as if nothing had happened.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874-1965)

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Deuteronomy 6:4

How cool is this! There is a verse of scripture that has a name! Deuteronomy 6:4 is the verse. It's name is the Shema (pronounced sha-mah) and is named for the first word in the Hebrew sentence. Shema means "hear", but with the context of taking notice and being obedient to what is heard.

(Note: Some call it Shema Yisrael, naming it from both the first and second words.)

In my New Year 2014 post, I mentioned that I do not make new year resolutions, but that I do strive to work on what I have called Projects For Life. It seems reasonable to now describe what I mean and to explain how this not only differs from a new year resolution but is, in fact, much better.

New Year resolutions, in theory, are when people make a decision for a positive thing in their life. This could be anything that they have identified in their life that needs improvement. Usual candidates include losing weight, stopping bad habits, exercising more or eating right. And there is nothing wrong with any of these resolutions. But the practice is that the resolution is set, high enthusiasm carries the person through a few days or even a week or two and then at the first failure, they give up and say forget it. This explains why a typical gym is full of new members in early January, but almost exclusively back to just the regulars by February 1st.

New year resolutions don't work for most of us because they are conceived of as a grand plan where anything less than complete success on the first attempt is a complete failure. Grand plans are great in theory, but the reality is that no plan survives first contact with reality. And that means that you will almost never hit a large goal on a first try. And therefore, despite oodles of good intention and well meaning, you have set yourself up for failure. After a few rounds of failed resolutions, many people say forget it and make the only new year resolution that they'll ever keep and say that they'll never again make a new year resolution!

Thus spake the bulldog:

You ask, What is our policy? I will say; "It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us: to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy." You ask, What is our aim? I can answer with one word: Victory -- victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874-1965)