Quit Wishing and Start Doing

My husband and I were recently at a store. We were talking to the associate, and the subject of dogs came up. Of course we had to share about Kuma, and the man wanted to see a picture. He had heard of the Shiba Inu, but he never saw a Black and Tan one. I quickly opened up my Gallery on my cell and went straight to my folder of “family” pictures and showed him Kuma.

“Wow,” he said. “I wish my pictures were so organized. I can never find anything.” He then enjoyed seeing Kuma. His comment rattled in my head, though, and I believe we can get stuck in wishing something to be true but never take the action toward it. This is truly the definition of insanity!

The simple truth is nothing happens in a vacuum. People don’t become a success over night doing nothing, and things don’t get organized by themselves. You can wish you fit into smaller jeans, but if you don’t change your eating habits and exercise, you are setting yourself up for frustration and disappointment.

If you find yourself constantly “wishing,” here’s where I suggest you start:

• Prioritize how important it is for you to have your pictures organized (lose weight, etc.) and decide where it fits in the big picture of things for you. We are all different.
• Take the appropriate action. If you decided you don’t mind spending a ton of time trying to find one picture, then let it go. No action required…just don’t complain about it because you made an intentional decision to not worry about it. If, on the other hand, you did decide you don’t want to waste time and want your pictures organized better, set aside time each week to work on it. Chisel away at it, and it will get done. I stay on it every week so that they don’t pile up.

Most of my family has musical talent, playing a variety of instruments. In my 20s, I found myself saying, “I wish I played piano or guitar.” The challenge was, though, I was never willing to invest the time to practice! I’d set aside the time but ended up outside doing active things. I dreaded the idea of practicing and saw that as a sign. I finally had to let go of the idea and take it off my “list.” You’d be surprised at the pressure we put upon ourselves when we can just decide not to.

If you envy something about someone else, I encourage you to investigate why.  If you discover you truly want a new skill, talent, or way of doing things that is better, then start taking steps to do it. Ask others how they do it and implement a strategy. Pay attention to how you feel because if you can’t get consistent with it, then you may just be jealous, a human emotion that doesn’t serve us well. Toss it and move on because jealousy can too easily turn into bitterness. If something matters to you, you will find the time.

As a coach, I can help you prioritize your goals. In fact, we set them in different aspects of your life: health, career, family, travel, etc. If you are struggling with what steps to take, a coach might be the missing ticket to help you stop wishing and start achieving!