virgin islands scene

A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.
-- Henry David Thoreau
 

 

Friday, June 6, 1997

I wish...

Iwish I was... I wish I had... I wish I could... I wish I knew...

Do you ever wish? What do you wish for? What happens when you wish? Not much, except that you remind yourself of the desirable things you do not have. Unless you have a magic genie in a lamp, wishing does not make anything happen.

In fact, wishing often prevents us from getting our wish. “I wish I could lose weight,” we think, as we scoop out another bowl full of ice cream. “I wish I could afford a new car” we think, as we waste another ten dollars on lottery tickets. To the degree that “wishing” makes our current undesirable situation more tolerable, it prevents us from taking the actions necessary to improve things.

Stop wishing and start living. Do your dream. Make the specific plans, and take the effective actions necessary to achieve the life you desire. The next time you find yourself wishing, stop and think, “What can I do right now that will begin to make it so?” Wishing won’t make it happen. However, YOU can make it happen.

— Ralph Marston

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Copyright ©1997 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.