Recently my husband and I were awaiting news about something that was pretty unlikely, but would have made us very happy. Throughout the waiting process, we both kept saying, “Now, let’s not get our hopes up.” So we checked each other’s excitement at the possibility of good news, and just kept waiting.
Then it hit me – why not get our hopes up? During the 24 hours of uncertainty, what is the downside of celebrating as if the answer is yes? Don’t we do that when we buy lottery tickets? When the Lotto is $80 million and you buy your ticket, don’t you start to spend the money in your brain?
Okay, after the reduction for the lump sum payment and taxes, that works out to $32 million, so we put ten million into a retirement fund and spend two million on a house, five million goes to family, five million goes to charity, and the other ten million goes to investments, indulgences and living our new life…but what if we put eight million into the retirement fund and bought a second home, or what if instead…?
So why is there a difference between your unlikely lottery winnings and any other unlikely good outcome? Enjoy it while it’s still possible. We did and it was really fun.
Then, when we got the news this morning that we didn’t get what we wanted, it didn’t sting any more because we’d had so much fun with it during the waiting period. In fact, we have that to look back on as a good time.
So go ahead…get your hopes up. As long as you don’t know the winning numbers yet – they’re yours!
It’s exactly that kind of thinking that keeps me writing a long and complicated novel.
First, I have enormous fun writing it.
Second, I have enormous fun reading my own words – because I work hard to put the (fictional) story down exactly as it really happened.
Third, it is a necessary story – and fills a niche.
Fourth, I’ve taken the time to learn how to write.
And fifth, and by no means least, the readers I have tell me they like it. And get it (I’m serializing on my blog).
It doesn’t get much better than that (except maybe when my goals for sales come true).
You nailed the feeling – why NOT act as if your dreams and desires will come true? Especially if you won’t let a little thing like not quite reaching them get in the way. And who knows? You can’t win unless you play.