Someday Your Ship Will Sink

Getting my goat at the moment is all these people who keep saying that they "wish their dreams would come true" or that "someday things will happen," or (worst of all) that they will ask the universe for something and the universe will somehow provide. I am bloody sick of the world being full of whining lazy people.

I hate to burst your bubble, people, but the only way to get what you want is to WORK DAMN HARD for it. I am willing to concede that occasionally stuff does happen by way of sheer luck - heck, think about all those teenagers who get pregnant their first time having sex - but by and large, luck doesn't factor into it at all. On my MIL's fridge there is a magnet which says, "Luck is where preparation meets opportunity," and that really resonates with me. It's only January of my Year of Cake Domination and already I am realising just how much time, effort, money and strength it's going to take to achieve only half of the plans I have. Instead of that daunting me, it's actually motivating me. Yes, I'm actually motivated by working harder than I ever have before - certainly more hours, certainly more emotional upheaval, and definitely too many bowls of ice cream....but I know its going to be worth it. All that is going to pay off in spades when I get to the next part of my life, look back and say, "Wait a second... *I* did all that." And you know, it's conceivable that I'll work this damn hard and fail spectacularly. But to not try in the first place? Not. An. Option.

Weight loss, business growth, progress in careers, moving houses, getting ahead on one's finances...all of these things happen when we make the effort to make them happen, NOT while we sit on the sidelines complaining and wishing for our illustrious ship to come in. How long are we willing to wait, exactly, for the ship? Months? Years?

Now I know you're reading this and thinking of all the million and one excuses you have for not moving forward on things in your life, and you're kinda secretly still hoping it all will just magically happen. I get that. I do. I've spent YEARS doing that (and sometimes, I still do. Come on, Tattslotto, I really want that winning ticket!). I also don't think you can live a life without hope - because human nature dictates that we all need to live with hope. Hope that the diet will work, hope that the next big job will come through, hope that our kids will succeed. I've had plenty of times in my life (and plenty documented here) where hope just flew right out the window and left me in misery. So I understand the importance of having hope in our lives - but what I'm saying is, don't rely on hope to deliver for you.

For me, hope is a great feeling to have... but it isn't the only thing which is going to turn things around. So in my case, sure, I'm hoping like hell that all my plans for the year come through, and that some massive orders come my way, but I'm also WORKING like hell to make them happen. Hard work alone does not always translate into success - but hard work combined with hope, and possible even a tiny bit of luck, will eventually pay off. It's just that the people out there who seem to believe - who are arrogant enough to believe - that just by wishing and hoping all their "dreams will come true" are seriously pissing me off. Because they're kidding themselves, they really are, and I for one am sick of listening to the whining and complaining about how shit their lives are.

Here it is, straight up: Sometimes, life is just shitty. Sometimes, you don't always have the resources you need (money, time, support, love) to make life less shitty. ALWAYS, you have the power of your own hard work and effort to at least TRY and make things less shitty. If you're not willing to at least try, or work hard enough to make things happen for you...well, allow me to wave to you from the prow of the SS Successful while you sit on the dock. Hope you brought a jumper, I hear it gets cold when hell freezes over.