Wanting What We Want

We can handle stress. We can build confidence. We can get started. We can take the next action. We can do it all but if we don't have a destination in mind from the outset we are at best treading water and at worst scurrying from one shiny thing to another. It comes down to knowing what you want and accepting what you want even if it is not what you want to want.

If you are anything like me there have been times when what we want is not flashy or cool or socially acceptable enough (in our own mind) to be deserving of our desire. The thing we want gets pushed aside and we try to come up with other wants. In trying to satisfy those other wants however we do not find satisfaction or happiness because they are not ours.

If we do not learn to listen to ourselves, to understand and accept what truly interests us, we will not be happy. To do this we need to take some time to shut out the world and listen to ourselves. Not just once in awhile. We need to make a habit of finding quiet time for soul searching. This does not have to be painful. Most soul searching in our society comes when things get rough and there are sleepless nights of introspection. If we take some time every day to learn the territory of the world inside us, these long nights are not so bad. We do not find ourselves washed up on strange shores asking native people deep questions in a foreign language. Instead when things get bad and a night of soul searching begins we can travel well worn paths and come to the doors of those who know us.

Understanding our wants does not just show us where we are going but allows us to be at peace with who we are. This peace is as important to successes, both emotional and external, as confidence.