Wouldn’t you kind of like to be rich or enlightened, or maybe get into heaven or something? Would you sort of enjoy having a doctoral degree? Maybe if it works out you’d try to be the champion at something?Practice:
Some of us want things, but we don’t have the commitment to making them happen. Our ambivalence gets in the way, or we never learned to give wholehearted effort to our goals, or maybe we never learned that in order to attain goals, we must set them.
Wishful thinking is not without its charm. Sometimes it even works out. But if we really want success, we need to be able to direct our attention to what is important to us, hold our focus there and make appropriate effort to the task.
Think about your goals, your livelihood, your hobbies and interests. How committed are you to them? In what areas do you feel a quickening of your energy when you think of them? Which of your goals are just wishful thinking? Which deserve more of your attention and energy?
When you identify a goal or an activity that deserves your energy, clarify your intention. What is it that you really want to accomplish? Direct more attention to that. Spend more time thinking about it. Give it more focused mental attention. Take action. Do what you do with full awareness. Avoid distractions. Seize the opportunity.
© 2010 Tom Barrett