How to Overcome Wishful Thinking

“I want to be the richest man in Africa”, John soliloquised. John (not a real name) is a jobless graduate. He graduated 5 years ago from the university and ever since he left the four walls of the university, he has been surviving on friends and family. He has no concrete means of livelihood. Each day he wakes up he roams the streets by arguing on issues that have no direct link to his life. Whenever he is advised to do some jobs, he is often quick to let people know such jobs are below his status. ‘What status?’ I often wonder.  Yet, he desires to be the richest man in Africa!

There is no alternative to hard work. If one does not work one is not supposed to eat. Success does not respond to wishful thinking. It gravitates towards specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound (SMART) goals backed with hard work. Many people, like John, often mistake wishful thinking for goal setting. For instance, John wants to be the richest man in Africa. The questions to ask will then be: When will he be the richest man in Africa? What kind of business does he do at the moment? How does he intend to go about realising the lofty dream? A man has no job and yet wants to be the richest man in Africa. This beats any sane person’s imagination! This is nothing but a wishful thinking. You do not be through wishes; you can only be by doing. And the doing must be clearly defined and focused. Every object, like Isaac Newton put it, will continue to be in a position of rest unless an external force is applied. The external force is whosoever desires progress. It is you. For if it is going to be, it is up to you. If John must be the richest man in Africa, it is up to him. He has to change his way of thinking. He needs re-orientation. It is not through wishful thinking that success is achieved. He must move from wishful thinking to concrete goal-setting. How then does one overcome wishful thinking?

1

Set a SMART goal ( a goal that is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound)

2.      Make it plain on a tablet, i.e. write it down so that you can run with it.

3.      Design a roadmap to achieve the goal.

4.      Work hard towards achieving it. There is no other way except work. Work, work and work.

5.      After work, pray without ceasing. God will only bless the works of your hand, not what you have refused to do.