Why You Can’t Always Get What You Want

“But if you try sometimes / You just might find / You get what you need”
~The Rolling Stones

Today I caught myself reminiscing about my trip to Nepal a couple of years ago. I was newly married and this trip was our honeymoon. With my husband, Daniel, we visited Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and we also went hiking in the Himalayas. It suddenly hit me how much our life has changed since this trip and how much I would love to travel to a faraway destination again.

Sometimes our dreams, wishes and desires are contradicted by reality. In this case, we may start reacting, feeling disappointed, hurt, unsatisfied, frustrated. People may want to travel, start a new business or a new relationship, see their beloved ones or make new friends, but external circumstances and life on this planet at the moment may not allow them to get what they want.

There are many reasons why we don’t always get what we want:

  1. Our wishes may not be aligned with the universal plan. In this case, we need to take a step back, meditate, reconnect with the flow of energy and reflect on whether our desires are feasible according to the present circumstances, serving a good purpose and affecting others in a positive way, or completely unrealistic, serving egotistic purposes and resulting in the manipulation of others. Our wishes need to be visualized and formulated in a way that promotes universal welfare and evolution in order to be granted.
  2. We are not clear or sure about what we want. Clarity is one of the most essential elements of wish-making. For instance, if you wish to find a romantic partner, you need to be sure about what kind of relationship you would like to have with him/her, what qualities and characteristics you are looking for in a man or woman, what you want from life (e.g. do you want marriage and children or independence?) and where you can find this person. If you’re lacking in clarity, then you may not get exactly what you desire, but what you need at that moment, so that you get a clearer idea of what you really want.
  3. It’s just not the right time. Timing is a very important aspect to consider when it comes to the granting of wishes. In other words, maybe you will eventually receive what you have wished for, but in order for that to happen, there are some adjustments, changes, processes to be made, which take time and need patience. So, every time you feel disappointed that things are not working out for you, just say to yourself: “Things may not be working out now, but they will, so I need to be patient and not give up on my dreams”.
  4. We may think we want something, but in reality we get what we truly need. Sometimes our wishes do not really serve us. They may even be the echo of other people’s wishes resounding in us, and not our true desires or intentions in life. In this case it is like we are dreaming someone else’s dream, wishing for something that will make happy – not us, but – the programs and patterns in our mind. Don’t be surprised if, in this case, you will come to realize that what you have received in the end is not what you wished for, but what you needed the most.

Acceptance and patience are two virtues that can help us overcome the feeling of disappointment or dismay. One needs to continue hoping, wishing, dreaming, never giving up. And if your wishes are clear, truthful and aligned with the universal plan, then there is a high probability that they will be granted.

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