The Futility of Wishing

It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Let’s get clear on a few terms: wishing, wanting, hoping and desiring, planning and intending.

They are all thoughts.

Thoughts in your head that create emotions in your body.

These emotions either create in-action or action (read on and I bet you can guess which group produces which… ).

***

Wishing is a thought that something, perhaps something in particular, would be nice.

Wanting is a thought that something would be nice, or is missing, and if given the chance or choice, one would take it.

Hoping is a (usually wistful) thought that reoccurs about something wanted; a sort of “if only… ”

***

Desire is a clear preference for something.

Planning is a sustained and disciplined pattern of thinking that creates the means to bring something into one’s life.

Intention is the psychic fuel that allows one to bridge the gaps between desire and planning and achievement.

***

So, don’t waste your energy on wishing, wanting or hoping.

Focus your energy on what you desire, the plan required to make it real and the intention required to start, continue and finish.

Similar Posts

  • How To Re-Make Your Mind

    As irrigators lead water where they want, as archers make their arrows straight, as carpenters carve wood, the wise shape their minds. – Buddha Your experience of life, and your results, come from your thoughts. For the great majority of us, our thoughts are sometimes scattered, occasionally chaotic and insistent, and often rapid-fire. How can…

  • How To Be Extraordinary

    The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little ‘extra’. – Jimmy Johnson Just as no achievement is created with one act, neither is there a tremendous gulf between decent and great. At least not in each act along the way. Sure, the difference between doing nothing and something is great, but it’s generally not…

  • Go Beyond Mere Action

    Not everything requires (just) “action.” So often the result of considering a problem or goal is asking: “What are you going to do about it?” It’s a useful question, for the most part. But it’s a micro strategy. Long-standing problems or significant goals require something more than micro – they require a combination of mindset,…