Turning I Wish I Could…Into I Can!

Oct 31, 2013, Written by Sue Miley

How many times a month, a week or a day does the thought, image, or feeling of …..

I wish I could

…pass through your consciousness.

I wish I could travel more.
I wish I could have more peace.
I wish I could make my business work without killing myself.

The list is endless. It is a myriad of thoughts that each of us individually, and collectively, encounter interactively in our lives.

Have you ever dissected even a tenth of your personal “I wish I could(s)”?

The question we may need to redirect to ourselves is…

could I?

Changing Our Mindset and Our Actions

I will take you through a few I have explored.

I wish I could have more energy.

Have you ever said this? I do all of the time. And I even read health books and articles about feeling better and living life with more energy.

But I don’t stay disciplined in my sleep habits. I mean really consistent.
I don’t eat the way the books recommend for more energy….consistently.
I don’t exercise….at all.
I let busy-ness creep up on me.

I wish I could have more energy but I haven’t executed the things I know provide more energy to many. At least not consistently.

Recommended Resources:

What Makes Us More Confident, Happier, and More Energetic? No Not That!

Running on Empty:  The Need for Margin

I wish I had more time.

I know we all say this. And this is one I actually work on more than other wishes. When we say this we realize that no-one receives more hours in the day. We are really speaking of time to do the things we say we really, really want to do.

But it really is hogwash. We prioritize our own time unless we are in prison or prisoners.

When we don’t have time to do the things we really want to do then we are either:

prioritizing less important things
or allowing someone else’s priorities to take over.

In most things we have a choice. Out of each day there are many discretionary hours and minutes we choose to spend on lower priorities.

We could take back our time!

More Resources on Time Management:

Delegation: How To Really Make It Happen!

Do You Manage Your Time or Does It Manage You?

I wish I could afford this or that.

Obviously affordability is more tangible and there are certainly restrictions, but we still have copious choices on how to allocate our financial resources.

If I cooked more, controlled the quantity of food, and chose more cost effective shopping places we could free up a considerable chunk of resources to re-allocate.

But we use the excuse of no time, an affordable luxury, or pathetically, we have no will power.

Resources:

Dave Ramsey Tools

Fight Back Against Our Resistance

Could I?

Could I stop watching TV to free up more time to read, write and paint? Yes.
Could I say no to a few things on my schedule so that I don’t feel my schedule is controlling my day at an uncomfortable pace? Yes.
Could I be more conscious of what I spend money on so that I can save and not feel the pressure to always be growing my earnings?

Yes, I can!

Could You?

Recent Related Article:

This is Resistance (In Life and Business)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stephanie Calahan says

    Yes! Well done article Sue. I like to flip things to a question too.

    How is it that I have lost 15 pounds?
    How is it that my clients are beyond thrilled with their results?

    The questions get our mind moving out of ego and victim and into God’s abundance and possibility.

    I didn’t come to this easy though. I’m a recovering perfectionist, recovering workaholic, and recovering not take care of myself person. A few years ago I went through a near death experience because of that. While that experience wasn’t fun to go through, it opened my eyes to how I was making things hard for myself. This alternative is much better!

    • S_Miley says

      Hey Stephanie! I would love to hear more of your story. I had the workaholic thing going too for many, many years. Finding God for me, allowed me to lean into His strength more to move things forward. I still seek Him, plan, pray, and step out. But I have tried to leave the frantic, “make it happen no matter what” actions behind that were all me. For me, trying to stay aligned in the big picture of life with God’s will, helps make the actions flow on the smaller things. Thanks for sharing here.

  2. Family Travels on a Budget says

    Sue,
    I catch myself in the “I wish I could…” OR “Maybe, someday…” all too often. I water down Jeremiah 29:11, negating God’s power and plan to what I can manage on my own. The fears creep in.

    Thankfully, God provided me with an incredibly supportive — and diverse — group of supporters. An unexpected email lands in my box, offering encouragement. Someone points out where I am now compared to where I was a year ago. They offer perspective and encourage me to push on. God sends them when I need a reminder that HE is sovereign and HE’s got my life in his hands!

    • S_Miley says

      Karen that is great that you have that support system in place. One of the elements of my Christian Business Edge product/workbook is a plan to set up that support team. It really does help. Accountability with love!

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Sue Miley

Sue Miley MBA, MA, LPC helps small business owners build successful businesses on a foundation of Christian values. After 20 years in business, and 10 years as a Christian counselor, Sue uses a combination of faith, business and psychology to help clients in business and in life.

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