Wishes and whims make the world go 'round and 'round and 'round. There is no exit point. I believe we need a new fairy tale - Aladdin's Boot Camp.

In this story, you still get three wishes but you have to work for them.

I am continually amazed at the number of people who spend large sums of money to attend workshops and seminars to have people tell them what to do, and then not follow through.

It's as though they believe they are showing up for a massage. They think the only thing they have to do it lie there and enjoy it. Ask any teacher, curiosity may get peaked in the classroom but the results come from doing the homework.

No amount of wishing will complete the homework assignment.

When I catch myself wishing, I'm reminded of the story my late teacher, Dr. Dave Dobson told. It's about the man drinking heavily in a crowded bar. He didn't want to have to fight the crowd to get across the room and then stand in line to use the bathroom, so he offered people money to pee for him.

Wishing and doing are at opposite ends of the barroom.

Here's the real "Secret." No wish comes true without action. You can't win the lottery until you reach in your pocket and pull out a dollar to buy a ticket.

The amount of time and energy expended in wishing could just as easily be spent in taking one of the action steps necessary to attain a wish. Wishers have this notion that sustained action isn't necessary. They believe that it all falls out of the sky in one piece.

I'm a big fan of dreaming big. I believe it provides a big enough carrot for us to go chase. Where I part company with other dreamers is in the methodology used.

Wishing is the tool of the perennial loser.

All craftsmen have shortcuts. They come from experience and are very useful. The problem for the wisher is that it's the only part of the building process they see. You can't satisfy hunger from the aroma of the sizzle. At one point, you've got to fire up the stove and cook.

All any wisher has to do is look at the results they have for their efforts - none.

It's time to climb out of the well. It's cold, dark and wet in there and it's hard to see the light. Of course, if you just wished that you could get out, you've just extended your stay.

A step in any direction is measurable action. Wishes keep your feet glued to the ground.

Many wishers don't notice they're wishing. They live their lives in the ivory tower of their mind where no action takes place.

The method of transforming a wish into an action is first noticing that they need each other. Begin to notice that wishes have no action. Every time you notice a wish come to mind, notice there is no action attached.  This is sort of like "Will" without "Grace."  The chemistry is absent.

Once you begin to notice the wishing process at work, you begin to see the work that's necessary to make a wish come true.

A wish without action will remain unfulfilled.

I still make wishes when I blow out my birthday candles but I take time to notice that it took some effort even for that action to happen.

Bottom Line: Life will remain a waiting game for those wishing for a pocket full of fairy dust to sneeze them into action.

 

All the best,

John