Tell ‘Em What You Want
By Heidi Buhl
This morning my tea bag had a fancy little quote on it, “Say it straight, simple and with a smile.” This concise sentence spoke volumes to me. At this particular moment in time it made me think about how important it is to be honest and forthcoming about what you want in all arenas of life.
A good friend and I very recently had a lovely conversation about all this. It is quite simple, going after what you want will get you what you want with time. All you’ve got to do is muster the courage to get out of your comfort zone, be honest about what you want and for the love of all things glorious in this universe, never stop trying.
The first step in all this go-getter business is figuring out what you want. This is not always an easy feat. Some days the process of deciding what to eat for dinner can be inundated with indecision. Sometimes you forge a large aspect of your life for quite some time and then realize that it simply didn’t end up being what you thought it would. The process by which one figures out what they want is different for each individual and always subject to change.
That being said, nothing of any consequence is going to happen by sitting around sans action or waiting for that perfect moment when everything you want falls into your lap. There are no perfect moments; your dreams will not come true without effort. Part of this effort is being forthcoming about what you want. Exceptional things are not the result of wading in your comfort zone or avoiding taking a chance.
So you’re not happy with your job? Well, find a different job or start honing new skills to get a job you know you’ll be happy with. Be open with others about this desired change, perhaps you know someone that can help guide you in the right direction. Do research in your spare time to figure out how you can make this change in the best way for you and your life.
So you think so-and-so is interesting and you’d like to spend more time with them? Well, talk to them and get to know them. You don’t have to abide by stereotypes and wait X amount of days to contact someone. If you want to talk to them then do it. If you want to go out with them then ask them out. The worst they can say is no and be a jerk about it. Even if that worst-case scenario does come to fruition, at least you know that person is not worth your time because they are not equally interested in you.
So you want a promotion at work? Well, discuss it with management and keep working hard. The list of examples could go on and on. The moral of the story is the same for each scenario — go after what you want. Making sure that others are aware of the things you want is an extremely helpful tool in this endeavor.
Be mindful that by taking chances you will experience let down. There is nothing wrong with let down. Take these not ideal moments and learn from them. Let down only turns into a bad thing when you allow yourself to be defeated by it. Keep on keepin’ on. If things don’t work out then keep trying, learn from your mistakes and try to stay positive.
It will take time, there will be let down, but being honest about what you want and putting forth a valiant effort to make things happen will help you cultivate the life you want.