The Difference Between Wishing and Making It Happen

At its basic meaning, as a noun, a wish is simply a desire or hope for something to happen.

A wish can remain passive, specially in the context of hoping for something unattainable or unlikely to happen.

But wishing can also be a verb, and it takes on a different meaning, when a strong desire is directed toward a purpose.

“There’s a difference between wishing and doing. You can believe in your dreams, but you have to take action to make them happen.”
– Nick Vujicic

Nick Vujicic was born without arms and legs, and yet he is now a sought-after motivational speaker and bestselling author of several books.

Wishing is good, specially when followed by a choice to take action, even when it is not easy. Sometimes all it takes is to see the world upside down, and what seemed improbable can become attainable, and what was once a wish can become reality.

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(Photo taken at the Featherdale Wildlife Park, Australia)
Wish

Better Together

Love is the answer
At least for most of the questions in my heart
Like: “Why are we here?”, “And where do we go?”,
“And how come it’s so hard?”

It’s not always easy,
And sometimes life can be deceiving
I’ll tell you one thing:
It’s always better when we’re together…

Yeah, it’s always better when we’re together
We’re somewhere in between together
Well, it’s always better when we’re together…

– from the song “Better Together” by Jack Johnson

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Taken at Featherdale Wildlife Park, Australia
Prompts: Together, Edge

Envy or Admiration?

According to vocabulary.com, “Wanting what someone else has and resenting them for having it is envy.”

On the other hand, it says: “Admiration is the feeling of liking and appreciating… Often, there is a sense of gratitude or thanks when someone feels admiration.”

In other words, envy is self-centered and selfish, while admiration is other-centered and generous.

Buddha said: “Desire is the root of suffering.” Joseph Epstein agrees: “Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all.” A no-brainer, right?

But wait, according to some psychological studies, envy outperforms admiration. Apparently, benign envy “motivates people to improve themselves,” though only when self-improvement is attainable. When self-improvement is hard, “upward social comparison led to more admiration and no motivation to do better.”

I guess one can differentiate benign envy from the malicious kind. And we can reserve our admiration for those who can truly inspire us.

Admiration without envy can be quite liberating.

“To be rich in admiration and free from envy, to rejoice greatly in the good of others, to love with such generosity of heart that your love is still a dear possession in absence or unkindness — these are the gifts of fortune which money cannot buy.”
– Robert Louis Stevenson

It’s hard to beat admiration.