“God says: Take what you want and pay for it!” - Spanish Proverb
Author Dorothy Van Doren once wrote an entire article around the Spanish proverb above. She wrote that when she first hear the proverb, it actually frightened her: “I used to dream of an Angel with a flaming sword. But as I thought more about it, I realized that the Angel held not a sword but a balance.”
Her eloquent illustration actually left more of an impact on me than the proverb, itself.
Imagine a scale for a minute. On one side, we can put our heart’s desire – usually one of the ones listed below:
- We want more money
- We want to lose weight
- We want a promotion
- We want more traffic to our web site or blog
- We want a closer relationship with our spouse
- We want our kids to be successful
Irregardless of our own personal desires or needs, we have to realize that nothing is free in life. I went to Target today and found the things I wanted: cat food, sinus medicine, white grape juice, and bleach. I put them into the cart one at a time and wheeled along my familiar path to the cashiers. After placing my goods on the conveyor belt, I got out my billfold, after all the things I want come with a price tag (even though the one on the sinus medicine should have been ashamed of itself!).
The process inside Target isn’t any different from the one outside Target. Nothing comes free in life. If we want to lose weight – there’s a price we have to pay. We have to eat healthier foods and get more exercise. It’s the exchange we make in order to have our heart’s desire.
If we want more web traffic, a job promotion, better relationships, or success in any area – we have to give in order to get. No one’s going to come along and do the work for us and no one’s going to hand us everything we want wrapped in gold foil.
We can’t sit back and keep on doing what we’ve been doing – especially if it isn’t working. If we “think” we’ve been doing enough (paying the price we need to pay) we might need a wake up call. The bottom line is, if the price we’re paying isn’t achieving what we want, we’re pretty much counterfeiters. We aren’t fooling anyone but ourselves. The scales aren’t balanced because what we’re giving doesn’t weigh as much as what we want.
When we make the necessary adjustments and give as “good” as we hope to get – that’s the spot where magic happens and dreams come true.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
GREAT article! Love it – especially the end. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Joi! I love this piece,”the spot where magic happens” what a beautiful thought. I shall keep it at the forefront of my thinking today
I almost lost hope in thinking the scales would never be balanced… but then I remembered that “magic” place you referred to and I now know that I don’t have to worry about balancing the scales. I will be so caught up in that “magical” place where worry doesn’t exist.
Have a wonderful day! Fe Fe
I love the analogy. The scales really bring it all into perspective. Here’s to everyone seeking their own “balance”!
Brad – isn’t that a cool analogy? The author really made a lasting impression on me with her illustration. Thanks for the wonderful comment and best wishes! – Joi
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Great post Joi,
Love the story. It makes me think about people that are looking for an easy way to be successful and when they don’t achieve the success they look for the next thing and on and on. If they would of stayed the course on the original goal or project they would have succeeded by now.
Ken´s last blog ..Success Affirmations – Why and How
Your post serves as a reminder to me that there’s a need of a check and balance of everything that we want to achieve. If someone wants promotion from work then he/she has to be superb in all the projects and performances.
Great post by the way.
Patrice´s last blog ..Exercises to Shape Up Your Self Esteem
I suppose it’s human nature to want everything the easy way, but there’s rarely a way around paying your dues. Thanks for posting this article.
Nea | Self Improvement Saga´s last blog ..50 Regrets and the Life Lessons to Learn From Them
Nea,
Dues? They must, indeed, always be paid – kind of like the electric bill! – Joi
Beautiful, love it!
Jes extender´s last blog ..Best Selection of Penis Enlargement Products
Great read! Beautifully elaborates the Max Depree quote, “We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”
But, it is very crucial to measure your goals and actions.
Bhawna, I adore that quote – up one side and down the other!