Are You Wishing For It Or Working For It?
I can’t tell you the last time I heard someone speak (customer, co-worker, relative, or total stranger I overheard standing in the checkout line at the store) without wishing for something.
- Wishing they had more money
- Wishing they had a better job
- Wishing they had a fancier car
- Wishing they were famous
- Wishing they had more time
- Wishing they were on vacation
- Wishing it were Friday
- Wishing they didn’t have to go to work on Monday
If they had a nickel for every time they made a wish… they’d probably toss them all in a Wishing Well and wish for more stuff.
Sometimes just to cause trouble (and perhaps get them to shut-up about all their wishing), I’ll ask them what they’re doing to make those wishes a reality. If someone is wishing they had more money, I’ll ask them what they are doing to make more money.
- Have they taken a part-time job?
- Have they started a side hustle?
- Have they curbed their own spending?
- Have they started saving part of their income?
- Have they started investing their earnings?
If they answer “No” to those questions, I ask “Why not”” or I ask what other efforts they might be putting into action. At this point I usually get an eye-roll and they walk away (probably to go whine to someone else about their wishes) and that’s completely fine with me.
Hey, it’s fun to spend some time wishing!
Sometimes I wish I could fly (or that I was born rich instead of so gosh-darn good looking!), but if your wishing doesn’t get you thinking (and acting!) on how you could start working toward achieving that goal, then it really just comes across as dissatisfied grumbling (and maybe as a little selfish complaining).
The next time you catch yourself Wishing about how your life could be better, shift your thinking ever so slightly and start talking about the things you can do right now in order to start Working toward making your life better.
