To want is to long for, to wish for, or to desire something. More often than not our wanting is encouraging us to reach for more - more fulfillment, more autonomy, more flexibility, more authenticity, more independence, more balance, more stability, more money, more meaning - and the list goes on and on.
Our wanting often arrives in the form of a whisper. A subtle nudge when we see someone else with the thing we desire, a quiet knowing that we want that thing too. But the question is what will we do when our wanting arrives and how can we use it as a guide.
When you see a stranger on the internet with the life you want, will you acknowledge it or ignore it? When you come across another woman with your dream career, will you ask her how she got there or pretend to be exactly where you want to be? When you read a book and find yourself in one of the characters, will you look closer or turn the other way? When your wanting reaches out to you, will you face it head on or try to talk yourself out of it?
I have repeatedly found that our wanting is trying to guide us back to ourselves, an inner compass encouraging us to take a different path, offering us the exact guidance we need. And yet more often than not our first instinct is to silence it, to ignore it, to avoid it at all costs.
I want to quit my job is quickly met with denial. I want to start a business is quickly met with fear and self-doubt. I want to be more available for my kids is quickly met with a plethora of logistical and financial implications. I want to run a marathon is quickly met with the stark reality that you haven’t run in years. And so we look away, we pretend not to now, we busy ourselves, and we ignore our own wanting.
I myself am guilty of such, trying to distract myself from my biggest dreams because they still feel impossibly out of reach. Lately I have found myself struggling to trust my own wanting, afraid it is trying to lead me astray. Filling my days with easier tasks and turning my back on the one thing I feel ill-prepared to complete.
This tug of war happens inside all of us, knowing what we want and trusting that wanting are two completely different things. To trust in our wanting requires action as we repeatedly move in the direction of our desires. Wanting is where the journey begins and action is how we honor our wanting.
If you want chiseled abs, you must show up for your exercise practice each and every day (and then some). If you want to change careers, you must get curious about the other things you want to do. If you want to launch a business, you must pursue your idea wholeheartedly while simultaneously pushing against your own biggest fears. If you want to change your life, you must accept and trust your wanting while simultaneously taking steps in the right direction.
Last week I shared my want: I want to write a book. This week is where my wanting meets action, where the journey truly begins, where the desire meets the road, where my commitment gets honored, where I accept the path ahead. Because I know that if I want to write a book (or two), I must show up for my writing practice repeatedly.
Current Word Count: 5372
What do you want? What does your wanting want you to do?
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I can't wait to read your book! You have got this. Proud of you for taking the leap!