Do You Really Value What You Wish For?

By Gary Vurnum

I am sitting in a shopping mall, waiting for my wife to finish her Christmas shopping. Next to me is a rather pathetic-looking fountain, which contains hundreds of coins, mostly thrown in by children of irate shoppers.

I look closer and I realise that most of the coins are only pennies. The sum of money accumulated under the water probably won’t even cover the cost of someone to pick them up.

Throwing a coin in a fountain is, to many, a token gesture in return for a wish. Are your wishes worth as little as a penny?

If you value your wishes, then maybe you should throw in a larger amount? After all, it has always been said that you place more value on things that you pay for, than the things you get for free. The trouble with this concept is that it is the wrong way around. The things that you get for free should have a much higher value placed on them, compared to things that you pay for.

Having a nice house, or a fast car, can give you a great deal of pleasure. If you didn’t have your health, or you didn’t have family and friends to share it all with, then you probably wouldn’t enjoy it at all. Don’t get me wrong. Money can buy happiness to a degree, but only short-term happiness.

Most poor people’s definition of success is measured in monetary terms, whereas rich people define success in intangibles. These intangibles are the key to being successful, and enjoying it. Successful people value time spent with their families, their own development, and many other things that money can’t buy. Money may make a lot of these things possible, but you must desire success not for material things, but for the ability to make the most of what matters to you.

Memories should be the most treasured possessions we have; yet most of us want to overwrite them with empty wishes for the future. If you really want to have something, or to be someone, make sure that money couldn’t buy it once you get there. Without such a desire based around your values, you are unlikely to attain the success you wish for.

It is no coincidence that you have to desire that which money couldn’t buy. If you do not need money to buy it, it means that it must be available to you NOW. Think hard for what you wish for, and make sure that what you cannot touch comes before what you can. Only by aligning your goals with your inner values will the path to success open up for you. You are the only person who knows what they want. The problem is that the vast majority of the population on this earth haven’t got a clue what they really desire. The majority of those that do know what they want do not even bother to set themselves on a path to achieve it. The remaining minority of this minority are the successful people.

It’s not good enough to choose to be successful; you have to decide to never turn back. Then you must act. NOW! •

© Gary Vurnum

About the Author
Gary Vurnum has quit his full-time job to devote himself to his family and his self-development. His life turned around after the birth of his severely disabled son, and he now wants to share with others the tools he used to remain positive during the worst time of his life. His life-changing ebook “The Science of Success” is available from www.scienceofsuccess.com.