Just Wishin' Don't Make It So

'Just Wishin don't necessarily make it so' Anon

 

This old adage about wishin came up this week when I was listening to an NPR reporter discuss the optimism our young people still have about  finding their dream jobs.  Although something like 85% of them felt they would one day have the opportunity to work in their dream jobs...only about 5% of had put in place, any kind of plan to make that happen in their lives.  Do you know anyone like that?

As a beginning activity for my public speaking classes, I have my students give a short speech on a success that they have had in their lives.  With a number of athletes in my classes this semester, many of them talked about the successes they had in sports and how important the dream of playing at the professional level was for them.  This is their passion! Most of them ended up at our community college, because of past academic challenges or sports injuries.... The coaches here are giving them another chance to make it to the next level of college play.  I noticed that since their speeches, several of these students who spoke about their desire to make it to the pro level, have since come up absent for a few classes. Hmmmm  'Just wishin they'll become a pro don't necessarily make it so!" 

As much as I believe that our thoughts create our reality, I also know it takes action as well.  We learned last week that if we want to have a life on fire, then we need to put our attention on those passions that will create that kind of life.  Remember the mantra we were going to memorize,
'When you are faced with a choice, a decision, or an opportunity, choose in favor of your passions.' Well I think we need to add a few words to that....  'When you are faced with a choice, a decison, or an opportunity, choose and act in favor of your passions.'

Here's what the football coach said about his team in last Sunday's paper, "We come out the first two drives, look good then all of a sudden everything goes to hell! Mistakes. Running into the punter. Holding. Off sides. Whatever. It's crazy. I know they're young, but we're four games into it. They've got to grow up. The problem is they don't focus!" Awe....focus....sounds like a problem with 'attention' and 'action' to me. I wonder if I should go and give the AWC football team a motivational talk?

In the book The Passion Test our authors give us the assignment of taking each of the 5 passion statements and  then writing a full page on what we would visualize our day looking like if we were living those passions.  After we do that, then we are to create markers to use as milestones, or guideposts.  These can help us see where we are on the road to living our passions.  Of course we'll need to regularly look at our passions and readjust them for circumstances in our lives...but it motivates us to take action and gives us an opportunity to see and celebrate our successes along the way.

Here's an example that was used in The Passion Test:
Passion: I am a world-renowned concert pianist

Markers
1. I have performed for heads of state all over the world
2. I have performed with the New York Philharmonic orchestra
3. I have my own television specials.....
etc...

Or in my students' case

Passion: I am playing football at the NFL level
Markers
1. I have passed my public speaking class at the community college (ha!)
2. I have played successfully at a two year college
3. I have been picked up and received a scholarship from D1 University

Yep, there is work involved, action that must be taken in order to create the kind of life that we desire..... Cuz, just wishin don't necessarily make it so. 

Listen to this TED Talk from a beautiful young generation graduate, Eunice Hii.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgbzbdxTm4E

I'd love to hear from you.  Email me, Karen at: smallsteps4bigresults@yahoo.com