Be careful what you wish for

One of my favorite tropes of fairy tales is the curse of the literal genie. This is the wizard or witch that interprets wishes literally.

So if the hero asks to be so rich they’ll drown in money, you can bet your ass the genie will literally shower them with cash until they literally die. This is the curse of Midas who wanted everything they touched to be turned to gold, and once granted they couldn’t feel the touch of another human being without turning them into a statue of gold including their wife and children.

If you get what you wanted, you might find it doesn’t feel as you expected. The genie might actually make you a rich hot celebrity, but you might find that your new stardom gets in the way of truly meaningful relationships (just a wild guess.)

Be careful what you wish for, you might get it

I believe this same fate has cursed many of us. Work hard for what you want and with some luck, you might just get it. But be very mindful of what you want. Many people only realize too late that what they thought they wanted is not what they needed, and need to keep searching.

What are you willing to sacrifice to get your dream? Do you want money? Be more specific. Think about what you are willing to give up. You might realize that money is not exactly what you want. You might want security. You might want recognition to feel valuable. You might want status symbols to attract a partner. You might want confidence.

I still struggle to define what I want. I might never figure it out! But I have come to believe that the search is a north star and the journey is where the riches are.