Start it today

You don’t need to wait for wind if you engage your motor. (Image by Daniel Büscher)

A friend of mine used to babysit for a six-year-old girl. Lacking a better plan, he plunked her in front of the TV.

Whenever a commercial for a toy would come on, she would say mournfully, “Wish I could have that…”

The tone of her voice went beyond a child’s eager materialism to a deeper, existential sorrow. The implication was, “I can never have that.” Simultaneously hilarious and tragic.

Hilarious because she’s only six and Mr. Bucket isn’t that great anyway.

Tragic because it’s so real. I know that feeling. Don’t you? The gap between where we are and where we want to be can be painful.

The experience of longing for something is a sweeter pain than some other varieties, but when we go too long without fulfilling our heart’s desire, it still hurts.

Sometimes, there’s nothing we can do about it. Our grief for lost loved ones will remain unresolved in this lifetime. Our nostalgia for the past cannot make us young again.

It is a mistake, however, to think that the cruel reality of temporal life extends to its every aspect. We have the power to attain of the things we long for. Sometimes, we get so accustomed to feeling the longing that we don’t realize we can resolve it.

Of course, taking action to change our lives requires a discomfort that we’re not always willing to face. It might not work. It might cost us too much. And when we acknowledge that it’s in our power to get what we want, we lose all of the excuses that keep us safe from having to bear responsibility for our circumstances.

For years, I wanted to write. I wanted to share my ideas…but first I needed better ideas. I needed more time, more polish, more focus. I would write a bit, and then hide again. I was standing on the shore, waiting for fair winds before I put my boat in the water.

One day, I decided to finally start. From that point forward, I made the time, created the focus, and trusted that the ideas would come. I became a writer.

And while my blog is not widely known, you’re here reading it! Since I started in March, I’ve welcomed visitors from 49 U.S. states (come on, Wyoming!) and 43 foreign countries. It’s a real thing that exists.

Here’s the interesting part: Once I was no longer longing to write (because I was spending many hours a week writing), I was more able to spot some of the other things I was longing for. One by one, I have been identifying them and taking action to turn them into reality. It’s a lot less scary now than it used to be.

So, the inevitable questions: What are you longing for? What might you do about it? And what can you start today that would shift you from “I wish I could have that,” to “I’m on my way”?

And next, how can we empower the children and teenagers we know to do the same thing?