Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen. — Michael Jordan

Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.

Author: Michael Jordan

Insight: Most of us spend far more time in the first two categories than we'd like to admit. We want things—a better job, a healthier body, stronger relationships—and we definitely wish they'd happen. We think about them, talk about them, maybe even plan them out in our heads. But wanting and wishing are passive. They feel productive because we're mentally engaged, but they're really just waiting dressed up in motivation. The shift to "making it happen" requires something messier: actual inconsistency, small failures, adjusting course when something doesn't work, and doing unglamorous things when nobody's watching. It's showing up at the gym on Tuesday when it's cold. It's having the awkward conversation you've been avoiding. It's sending out one more application after rejection number four. These actions often feel less satisfying in the moment than the fantasy version where it all comes together cleanly. What's worth noticing is that wanting and wishing aren't character flaws—they're just the easier mode. Most people operate there, which means the gap between intention and reality is actually where opportunity lives. The small percentage who consistently move into "making it happen" territory aren't necessarily more talented or disciplined. They've just decided that the discomfort of actual effort beats the chronic disappointment of perpetual wishing.

Source: Driven from Within, p. 22, 1994