How Bad Do You Want It?

American Idol…
America’s Got Talent…
So You Think You Can Dance…
Top Model…

Reality TV shows. People come from all over to participate, and the majority of them say “I want to win so bad…”

Bad? Don’t you mean “I want to win so much”?

I had a client who was in an on/off relationship. She had married the man once and they’d split on not-so-happy terms. Some years (and at least one other marriage each) later, they met up again and sparks flew. He was happy to have a hot-in-the-sack relationship, but she wanted something more serious. She admitted that she would “do anything” to get him back, and said on more than one occasion, “I want him so bad…”

Fast forward several months. She went off the Pill and got pregnant. He decided it was time to settle down. They got married.

Was she happy? Far from it. She had told the Universe that she wanted him “so bad”, and that’s exactly how she got him. Bad Boy lived up to her expectations. He put her down in front of others, stayed out late with no excuse, flirted with other women in her presence, and quite possibly had an affair or two over the next couple of years. By about year five of second go around on the marriage, she was miserable. The couple eventually divorced.

Another client got the job of his dreams after announcing he wanted this position “so bad…” Yep, you guessed it. The job turned out to be a nightmare. Long hours, no recognition or appreciation, no raises or bonuses… He felt he was being taken advantage of, and hated the job he had wanted “so bad.”

Moral of the story? Like I’ve said in other blogs: be careful what you ask for and how you ask for it. The Universe takes us literally, and will oblige us with what we’ve put enough energy into to manifest.