Wednesday, August 25, 2004
wanting something
My friend Pia is amazing. She has a feature in today's 2BU on her story on how she managed to raise more than 60,000, using Livejournal and good deeds, to buy herself a ticket to Barcelona to attend the World Youth Festival. She created a website called Buy This Dream saying that for every person who pledged 300 pesos for her trip to Barcelona, she would perform for them any good deed of their choice. So many people pledged that she ended up raising more than she needed.
I remember how all of us girls dressed and made her up Jenn's room the night before she left for Barcelona. It was almost like a Cinderella moment. We were picking her clothes out for her and adorning her with jewelry and make-up, giving her our women's blessing. She was so giddy and excited and we all knew that it was a balance of both destiny and human effort that was delivering her to Barcelona.
I've always known her as one of those extremely pro-active people who go out there and just make things happen! She's all over the place, joining and heading organizations that make changes. She's always trying to change the world.
Reading her journal, one passage she wrote caught my eye:It's been interesting to observe how different people deal with their dreams. Some accept. Some deny. Some fear. And some don't even recognize that they have dreams at all!
It makes me reaize how I really don't strive for anything at all, at least not with a lot of effort. I am one of those who fear and deny my dreams. I'm afraid to speak out loud what I want to do, and what I want to be, for fear that I might never get there. I only dare to reach for the things that I know I can attain. I only take gambles where I where I know there is little to lose.
I know I am wasting my life by continuing to let myself be dominated by this inertia. I am one of those people, whom it seems, was born lucky. Things just fall into my lap, and most of the time, I get what I ask for. I'm not talking about my parent's spoiling me or giving me money. My parents never gave me everything I asked for. They taught me the value of working for what I wanted early on. And in terms of money, we were given allowance, and it was our responsibility to budget that money to pay for the little baubles we wanted.
No, I'm not a spoiled brat. What I mean about getting everything I ask for is that when I ask life for something, life always seems to deliver. When I audition for a part, I get it. When I try to get in something, I get in. When I gamble, I win. When I make an endeavor, I succeed. Somehow, the ball always gets in the hole even when it's a long shot, and at almost no cost to myself. There were a few times when the ball didn't make in the hole, and yet I lost nothing.
Life has been very good to me. Life has given everything I need, and everything I don't really need, and everything I don't really want. I'm lucky, and yet I waste it because I've never really tried to go the distance to attain the dreams that really matter to me.
When I was in high school, I use to make something called a "Wish Book" every start of the new year wherein I'd cut out pictures from magazines of things I wanted and stick it in a scrapbook. I'd cut out a whole lot of random things: clothes I wanted, vacations I wanted, goals I wanted, what kind of boyfriend I wanted, books I wanted to write, people I wanted to meet. I'd put superficial goals, and I'd put meaningful goals.
Every time one of those wishes would come true, I'd draw a gold star next to the picture. At the end of the year, I'd look through my wishbook and find that most of the wishes had indeed come true in one way or another. Even the most far-fetched ones came true, like running into an old friend during my only night in New York (I had less than 24 hours there and I ran into the one person I wanted to see). And the ones that didn't come true, I always told myself that they were somehow on hold and that they would come true some day.
You might think the whole thing is just a hokey, little girl's past time, but it really makes a difference seeing your goals and wishes put down on paper, with a matching image of it. Somehow, it makes it more concrete. In a way, it's like cementing your desire.
I haven't made a wishbook in two years. Maybe it's time to sit down again and make one.
an hour after i wrote this entry...
... someone emailed me this. I really liked what she had to say. Thought I'd share it.
Hi! I loved the idea of a wishbook, and thanks to you, I'll be making one for myself.
"Cementing your desire", sometimes that's all it takes for you to achieve what it is you really want, and the universe hears your wish and grants it, provided you put in your part of the bargain: You audition - you get the part. See?
Don't question so much the ease by which you come into possession of fulfilled desires, just remember to say thank you. Ask and ye shall receive nga naman diba?
A friend of mine suggested writing a letter to the Universe asking for what you want out of life - and making things concrete, on paper, or in a Wishbook, it gives you the impetus to get out there and get these things for yourself, with a little help from the Universe in terms of synchronicity and 'coincidences'.
Hope you do make your Wishbook, thanks for a lovely post.
at 10:49 AM 
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well... i can't really cut up books and encyclopedias if that's what you mean :-p and you can't stick a tv set in a scrapbook.
i came across pia's LJ while LJ-hopping one day. astig nga eh. i didn't have money to spare that time so i decided to posted a link to her LJ on my blog so other people can read it. :)why is it that as we grow older, we become complacent? we sit on our laurels and leave our dreams(particularly childhood dreams) in the back-burner. we become resistant to change because we're afraid that it(our dreams) might actually happen. subsequently, we won't know how to deal with it. so we'd rather do nothing about it(like the glass merchant in The Alchemist.) and that's really sad.
i love this post. it sounds stupid but now, you're more human in my eyes. here's hoping we'll both find the courage to follow our personal legends.
I dont have a wishbook but I make a wishlist at the start of the year. Writing it down makes it more real and you are compelled to make it happen. For this year, I've made, i think, 5 of my wishes come true. :O)
I dont have a wishbook but I make a wishlist at the start of the year. Writing it down makes it more real and you are compelled to make it happen. For this year, I've made, i think, 5 of my wishes come true. :O)
Hi! I'm one of your readers but this is my first time to comment.
Anyway, I believe in the "power" of a Wish Book. In fact, I had one back in gradeschool and I, too, cut out pictures from magazines. My wish book is probably inside a box now, up in the storage.
Recently, for my boyfriend's birthday, I decided to make a wish book (only I call it a Dream Book). He's pretty much IT for me. :) And so my dream book will contain things we want to have, places we want to visit, businesses we'll pursue.. things we want to have, do or be. The dream book is something we were planning to do for a long time but we haven't gotten up to it yet. :)
Anyway, I believe in the "power" of a Wish Book. In fact, I had one back in gradeschool and I, too, cut out pictures from magazines. My wish book is probably inside a box now, up in the storage.
Recently, for my boyfriend's birthday, I decided to make a wish book (only I call it a Dream Book). He's pretty much IT for me. :) And so my dream book will contain things we want to have, places we want to visit, businesses we'll pursue.. things we want to have, do or be. The dream book is something we were planning to do for a long time but we haven't gotten up to it yet. :)
wow! your friend's story is worthy of "chicken soup for the soul".
you're one lucky girl, really. i've read something similar to your wish book from chicken soup and i wanted to try it, too, but i never really got down to finally do it.:)
you're one lucky girl, really. i've read something similar to your wish book from chicken soup and i wanted to try it, too, but i never really got down to finally do it.:)
What your friend did was so amazing! So many people in my LJ friends list plugged her dream/good deeds journal, that was how I knew about it. Wasn't it Tioseco's suggestion though? That if she got 300 pesos from a hundred people, she'd be able to raise half of the amount she needed? Heh. It was such a brilliant idea. I wonder if I can do something like that myself.. like ask a dollar from random people everyday for the next 30 years or so...I wonder if that'd make me a millionaire by then. :p
However, this post (http://www.livejournal.com/users/blackmadonna_/3821.html) made me think twice. Not about your friend's intentions, but the general idea of the act itself. I guess we just need to have faith that there are still a lot of goodness in this world huh? I hope your friend is enjoying (or enjoyed) her stay in Barcelona!:)
However, this post (http://www.livejournal.com/users/blackmadonna_/3821.html) made me think twice. Not about your friend's intentions, but the general idea of the act itself. I guess we just need to have faith that there are still a lot of goodness in this world huh? I hope your friend is enjoying (or enjoyed) her stay in Barcelona!:)
Oh yeah! I read the article on her! I've stumbled onto her site din kasi once and I was so amazed. Akala ko nga noong una joke, and I was thinking, "Yeah right.. Good luck sayo!" But oh my gah, when I read her post na she earned Php60,000. My jaw dropped. Ang galeng niya super! I even bragged to my dad na I saw her LJ and that I witnessed her success. Haha. I'm so amazed and inspired at the same time! :)
-Shari
http://retrosmile.com/shari
-Shari
http://retrosmile.com/shari
Ey! I dropped by her site sometime back... She actually raised the 60k??! Astig!
Nice to know that people do have the potential to help others achieve their dreams as well :)
Nice to know that people do have the potential to help others achieve their dreams as well :)
hi!i dont have a wishbook,but your entry inspired to have one.although i was planning to write 100 goals i want to achieve, i've only written 25, and wala pa ako nagagawa ni isa...tsk...
your friend pia is indeed amazing and inspiring.
your friend pia is indeed amazing and inspiring.
pia is indeed amazing. there's this different aura to that girl. its like she screams, "i'm going to make it in the world". and she is, slowly but surely.
You know why the Universe grants our wishes? It's because WE ARE the Universe! The sooner we realize it the more abundant our lives become. This is knowing yourself in the most powerful, and profound way.
i have to agree...your friend is amazing...to be able to do that and really go after her dream that way...wow!
i liked that quote you shared about how other people deal with their dreams...i agree with that!
i myself don't really do much to go after my dreams...i mean i know what i want and i may do something about it but i don't really go and push myself as much as i should...maybe i should do that Wishbook thing as well to get myself started!
www.neverbeenkissed.blogdrive.com
i liked that quote you shared about how other people deal with their dreams...i agree with that!
i myself don't really do much to go after my dreams...i mean i know what i want and i may do something about it but i don't really go and push myself as much as i should...maybe i should do that Wishbook thing as well to get myself started!
www.neverbeenkissed.blogdrive.com
The whole "life gives me stuff" bit works for me, particularly in money matters. I wonder if the universe will unfold my Toyota Altis as it should?
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: 7:04 PM
: 7:04 PM
thanks for the idea, ala. i better start making my own wishbook. i guess it'll make us appreciate things more. take care!
wow. what a very inspiring post... sure moved me. you know I'm also one of those people who have dreams and yet are scared to make anything out of it.I deny and I wish and that's all I ever do.You're lucky, life has given you a lot of things you want.and since i enjoyed reading your blog( this is the first time I ever visited it), I think I'll link you up.
hey gurl!
I saw you in Powerbooks last Friday afternoon. I wanted to say hi and to tell you I'm a big fan of yer blog but decided against it. hehehe!
take care!
I saw you in Powerbooks last Friday afternoon. I wanted to say hi and to tell you I'm a big fan of yer blog but decided against it. hehehe!
take care!
Hi, I'm a bloghopper. Just found your blog. :D
Anyway, I read in a book somewhere that writing down what we want to have or what we want to happen somehow makes it concrete, and it comes true one way or another. It's like we're prophetic in some way. Like I wrote this story, and then what happened in the story somehow came true, in a different sense.
I like your idea, the Wish Book thing. :D Cool.
Anyway, take care!
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Anyway, I read in a book somewhere that writing down what we want to have or what we want to happen somehow makes it concrete, and it comes true one way or another. It's like we're prophetic in some way. Like I wrote this story, and then what happened in the story somehow came true, in a different sense.
I like your idea, the Wish Book thing. :D Cool.
Anyway, take care!
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