W a n t.
Karl L. Larsen
W a n t.
Published by
The Hospitality Network
PO Box 1426
Irmo, SC 29063
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, contact:
The Hospitality Network
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ISBN (physical print): 978-0-9826274-2-6
ISBN (eBook): 978-0-9826274-3-3
First United States Publication 2011
All Rights Reserved.
© 2011 by Karl L. Larsen
Cover Art © 2011 Karl L. Larsen
W a n t. is mind finally unchained and my life unfolded for the world to see. All characters and events are as accurate as my memory serves. Those named and those left anonymous are with my best intentions. With this said, I must tell my story. I owe my book to a number of people. My friends and family are my greatest influences; they deserve recognition and are owed a great deal of credit for this work. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today. Well, maybe I would be, but you wouldn’t be reading this. My appreciation goes to all who stood behind me through the years and who will stand beside me in the future.
This book is for you.
Dedicated to my Granny.
W a n t.
Preface.
One Word.
Redefined.
How to.
W a n t. Wait. Protect.
What’s What?
Scenario[ize](ing).
W a n t. Have. CELEBRATE!
Cycles.
W a n t. > Wish…
Can’t Have. Don’t Want.
W a n t. [For Someone Else.]
Whenw a n t scollide.
Excuses. Excuses.
Signs.
Religion & Spirituality.
Life & You.
W a n t. & The World.
Something of a Conclusion.
My Life.
[Unfolded.]
Introduction.
October 17, 2004.
The Aftermath.
The After, Aftermath.
Cubby.
The List.
October 17, 2008.
Winners Circle.
On Fire.
HOT KARL!
Game Night.
At Home with Myself.
California Special.
Do Rork.
A _ _ _ a _ _ _ a.
W a n t.
Preface.
As I look back on my life, all I can really say about myself is that something was amiss. I was different, but never could understand why. For some unexplained reason, I knew things nobody else knew and saw things most people didn’t. This self-entitlement often granted me the ability to set myself apart from others, but only in my mind. I was a thinker and always had been. This idea of being different was a result of never fitting in with my peers—not due to an inability, but the desire to be “like” somebody else scared me more than anything.
It’s safe to say my entire life has been spent trying to avoid being like somebody else by thinking about it and never actually defining who I really wanted to be. Nobody knew this about me, not even my parents. Struggling aimlessly to form a sense of identity, one feeling remained constant throughout the years: I was supposed to be something special—something big.
“When I grow up, I want to be a __________.”
What do I want to be when I grow up? As a child, I hated this question with a passion. Wanting to be a policeman or a doctor wasn’t fascinating to me. A scientist or even an astronaut didn’t fill in the blank as it did for the other kids. Becoming a rock star or a famous athlete just wasn’t me either. Maybe this was my problem all along. I never knew what I wanted to do or be in life. I couldn’t be the only person in the world who felt this way, right?
Even in high school and into college, with no idea of what to accomplish in life, I fell short in almost every category. As I piddle-paddled my way through meaningless courses, nothing ever stood out enough to make me want to pursue and capture it. Little did I know, my chances of a successful future were withering away along with the visions and dreams I had always held so close to me.
Did I mention something about being big? Daydreams of becoming rich or famous for doing absolutely nothing filled my head. It wasn’t going to happen. I needed to get real. How could this happen to me? How could I have become everything not expected of me? Given countless opportunities to succeed, expecting less from myself was my own way of hiding from the world. I wanted to be successful—but how and at what?
Right now, it isn’t hard to admit that nothing was ever good enough for me. This wasn’t as big a problem as was my lack of desire to reach for something more in life. As a result of these two defects, I continuously settled for less, failing and preventing myself from blooming into the idea of a “successful person” in today’s world. My craving for attention was obvious; I was just unworthy of it.
Every kid wants to be a famous athlete, inventor or a movie star while growing up. Those dreams fade away for most of them as they move on in life to become successful doctors or lawyers, maybe teachers or business professionals—if that.
Not me though. The dream of wanting to be something big never died, yet the blanks remained unfilled. I remember thinking to myself and telling myself, “Something is wrong with me.” Why couldn’t I find the motivation or inspiration to chase and capture anything? Even the most appealing of subjects and hobbies seemed like nothing more than useless knowledge to entertain my mind for short periods of time.
All of the things I truly wanted in life felt so far out of reach that I never tried or applied myself. This was the truth. My excuses were even worse. Fed up with taking what had been handed to me, I often gave up and, in time, stopped caring altogether. I figured I’d find something that would make me comfortable and that I would eventually grow out of wanting more out of life because it wasn’t going to happen.
But the feeling never went away. It was always there. When I woke up in the morning and when I laid my head down at night, it was always there. Something was wrong.
What is this feeling?
Why can I not figure things out?
What is wrong with me?
The thoughts floating around in my head often hampered the emergence of the simplest solutions by fabricating bogus scenarios to help me ignore my problems. These questions remained unanswered as I searched for the meaning for my existence. As I grew older, it got worse—and the more this feeling ate at me. Whatever it was, the solution was right in front of me; I was just too blind to see it. I hated this feeling—every moment of it. Hours of what should have been sleep at night were hours spent wide awake… thinking…
Who am I?
What am I doing with my life?
Why do bad things keep happening to me?
What am I supposed to do?
For years, the same questions surfaced, intended to shed light in my weary mind, only to uncover that I was in deeper than I thought. Teetering on the edge of my own idea of sanity, I couldn’t tell what was real or another one of my made-up scenarios.
Like most young adults, traumatic ups and downs plagued my late teens into early adulthood, which led me to a place with which I soon became very familiar, “Rock Bottom.” Without a light to follow, I continued to slip through the cracks of social successfulness. I knew it, but did nothing about it. My shortfalls affected my relationships with my family and friends to the point where nobody could be trusted with my thoughts so I kept all of them to myself. On the outside, I was quite the character. On the inside, I was slowly dying. I hid it well.
Was I supposed to be just another college dropout, never amounting to anything more than a shift leader at a sandwich shop or, if I were lucky, maybe land a mediocre management position in a retail environment? This was not what I had hoped for, but was exactly where I was headed. Certainly, this wasn’t big enough for me. Almost content with this life, the temptation of living it seemed to be the only option available because, well, “What choice do I have?” Having to accept that I was no different than the next guy crippled my will to strive for bigger and better things in life.
Maybe I wasn’t different after all.
At the young age of 22, things really began to fizzle. Twenty-three was the boiling point. On the verge of giving up, everything going on around me had taken control of my life and beat me down to the point where thoughts of tapping out eased the pain. I pushed away the people who loved me most, shutting out everyone and everything I used to love. Hours, sometimes days, were spent alone. Anxiety and desolation commandeered my thoughts, forbidding me from overcoming my fears and failures. My life wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. With all hope lost, the dark corner I backed myself into became my new home. My own mind had left me for dead.
One day, when things became too unmanageable, I cried as I had never cried before in my entire life… Completely broken down, undeserving and deemed ineligible in the game of life, I was a goner—a loser. I couldn’t hide it anymore. This was it. This was who I had become. I desperately begged for answers; asking God or whoever else was out there for help. All I wanted was a healthy mind; that’s all! Was this too much to ask? I knew if I could just think straight, everything would be okay! It was at this moment when the right question finally surfaced out of the darkest depths of my mind. After countless years of brutally interrogating myself, I said it:
“Karl, what do you want?”
It felt good to say it, so I asked myself again. Then I repeated it aloud at least ten times, getting louder each time, until I said it loud enough and it came out just right.
That was when it really hit me.
“Karl Larsen! What do you really w a n t?”
My eyes closed as I began to unscramble and decode the password to the mind I had locked myself out from for so many years. Vivid thoughts of the things I wanted in life enhanced my awareness while the alcohol and antidepressants in my system fought to destroy them. The things I wanted to do, places I wanted to go, people I wanted to meet, where I wanted to live, who I wanted to be! The things I wanted NOW provided a light for me to follow. This awakening heightened my state of consciousness by igniting my subconscious desires, pulling them into the light for a brief preview of things to come—if I wanted them.
A list of all the things I desired was created immediately following the retrieval of what would later become the most valuable information my mind had to offer. It was time to define myself.
It felt great at first, but the burning feeling that I was supposed to be something big had returned. There was no doubt in my mind; I had a calling. Still unable to put my finger on it, I decided to address it later. First, I had some serious life-changing moves to make.
How could this be? So much of my time and energy was wasted waiting for an answer when all I had to do was ask myself one simple question… the right question!
“What do I want?” I asked myself again.
As I scribbled down my desires in a written list, things instantly became clearer. My focus intensified as my imagination scattered with visions of a brighter, accessible future for myself. My wrongdoings had to be addressed first, so I vowed to never make those mistakes again. Then I did something I had never done before: not just think—but act.
This was the point where my life began to change. It was slow at first so I gave it time. Little by little, I began tackling my problems one by one, changing my life, instead of allowing the circumstances to change me. The decisions I began making for myself were positive goal-oriented desires, not based on temptations like they once were. I was acting instead of reacting.
I began to feel good again, as though there were an imaginary spotlight leading me to a new beginning. At first, I was a bit hesitant to come out of the darkness, but the light was too bright to ignore. I followed this light, continuing to rebuild and remold myself into the visions, which emerged the night of my awakening. Reconstructing my mind, the way I thought, my physical image and my values became my ultimate ambition.
The beaming spotlight from that new beginning led me to the last thing I’d ever think to see again. Stashed away and completely forgotten, the list, missing for almost two years, somehow made its way back into my hands. I couldn’t believe it! Not only had my list resurfaced; I then checked off every single item on it.
“How is this even possible?” I asked myself.
By empowering myself to think freely, my mind strengthened, building confidence and allowing myself to release the pain and confusion I had been carrying over the years. Placing my health, wellbeing and mindset as my top priorities, I focused on myself for once instead of the circumstances defining me. I wanted to make a name for myself on my own by doing the things I had always wanted to do and experience as a young man… even doing the things I once thought were out of reach.
It wasn’t long before I was doing those things. I was finally living! Unchained from the mental and emotional restraints imprisoning my mind, I was now a positive-minded force. My mind was finally free!
Still in shock from checking off my entire list, a new list followed to keep the positivity flowing. Everything began falling into place exactly the way I wanted; everything was finally going right for a change! The curse I lived by; the curse I plagued myself with, had been lifted. I had never felt this good about life or anything in it for that matter!
It was a strange feeling. Instead of questioning my ability, I questioned my past actions and decisions. This really got me thinking. In just a year and half, 545 days, I lived a totally different life, one not remotely similar to what my life used to be. Then it dawned on me: I had everything I wanted! Everything on the list had been checked off, because I wanted it—and wanted it badly.
Each item on the list, somehow, I either made happen or put myself in the position to make happen. I was in control! My mind toyed around with the concept of responsibility for once as it raced to uncover answers to questions not yet asked. How could I have been so blind? How could I have not seen this? More importantly, what was this feeling I still had and why was it chasing me? I became overwhelmed with the thought process tumbling around in my head; as it evolved, it was beginning to reshape my life.
“Wait… I can have whatever I want?”
My mind was quick to retreat from the excitement of such an outrageous question. But could I? What if I could? Why not?
This was only the beginning.
Life for me continued not just to go well but, surprisingly, to go great. I continued to search for the reason as to why I was here. But something didn’t feel right about my search for a reason. Maybe “reason” wasn’t what I sought after all, but definition. Why had my life been so horrible? Why is it now so amazing? Let me see what it feels like to take responsibility for everything I had ever done. Not just what I’ve done, but what I’ve failed to do.
After re-evaluating my entire life, I realized my biggest problem: me. I never owned up to my mistakes. Strangely, this realization was liberating. It made me feel better than pointing the blame at others or toward inevitability, as I had done my entire life.
This new way of thinking sparked an idea, so I put it all down on paper. It wasn’t much at first, just my ideas, thoughts and opinions as to why these better things were happening to me. Even some of my dreams were recorded. The more I wrote, the more I challenged myself to dig deeper into my mind. I broke it all down, and questioned and analyzed every situation and event in my life leading me to this very moment.
What is this?
What was I doing?
What was I NOT doing?
How does this work?
DOES it work?
The questions kept coming, so I kept writing. I was on to something. I wrote down everything, filling in the blanks the word puzzles left unsolved in my head. My mind worked a certain way, but how? More importantly, why?
As a boy, dictionaries and thesauruses captivated me. Words and their definitions fascinated me for some mysterious reason. I started jotting words down to pick them apart during my thinking process.
Doing this helped organize my thoughts and avoided confusion with words I didn’t understand. Writing hard and fast, I went through mechanical pencils and erasers in a matter of weeks. I couldn’t stop writing! Pages upon pages of material filled a notebook I kept hidden. For months, nobody knew about my recordings. With no idea or intentions to do anything with it, it would serve only as my escape, until one day in April 2010… when one word emerged.
But something was wrong with it—very wrong. It wasn’t like other words. It harassed me, begging for attention. Then, after studying it relentlessly, I realized had just discovered something astonishing. The conclusion I stumbled upon wasn’t like the traditional light bulb flickering when a great idea surfaces. Forget the one spotlight shining on me like before. Hundreds of spotlights now illuminated my existence, waiting for me to make a move.
I wanted to write a book. Wait—write a book? Me?
Once this thought entered my head, it was exactly what I was going to do. It was my calling. I wanted to be a writer. But not just any writer, an author… and not just any author… a famous author.
Could I have just realized my dream? That burning and taunting feeling, which obstructed the visions of my unforeseen future, had finally vanished. The dream of always wanting to be something big had been right in front of me the entire time! From then on, I was going to capture everything my heart desired. My book was not only going to help me do this, but prove to the world that you can have anything you could ever want in life… IF you just set your mind and heart to it.
But this wasn’t all. I wanted to become something greater—something much, much bigger. I wanted to inspire people around the world to do the same. My passion was to lead. Not like a politician though, but more like a crusader for a truthful cause; a cause still left undefined in the midst of an amazing realization.
What you are about to read is my
mind and what it has created. This is my life and how it has
unfolded. It took me years to understand my mind, my life and my
passion. It is this book and the people who will read it. You now
know what it is that I
w
a n t. But this book
isn’t just about me. It is about you also and what you truly desire
in life.
May this book be my right of passage to the life I have always wanted to live and to be exactly whom I choose to be. Not because I have to be, but because I can be. May it empower you to do something big as well and to unearth your undiscovered passion.
The spotlights, which brought me to this very moment, are the same spotlights I had always envisioned myself being illuminated by in real life.
Now, here I stand before them…
One Word.
So what do you want?
No, seriously. What do you really want? Have you ever sat down and actually thought about it? What do you want today or tomorrow? What do you want out of your relationship? What do you want to happen? How? When? Where do you want to be in five years; in ten? What is your dream job? What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to change in the world? Do you want to find true love? Happiness? Success? Total fulfillment? What do you want to do with your life?
What do YOU w a n t?
Are the wheels in your head turning yet? A little squeaky, aren’t they? The questions above can be the hardest questions in the world to answer, but why is this? Because, more than likely, you haven’t specified with yourself what you really want in life. Chances are that you haven't even thought about it! Shouldn’t you be able to answer this question at any given moment? When somebody asks you what you want, shouldn’t you always have a response? Regardless of who may be asking, there is no wrong answer. Close your eyes and think about it—like… now.
You probably don’t even know where to begin. It’s okay. Don’t be overwhelmed. Start by thinking of just one thing—one thing—you have always wanted that you don’t currently have. It can be anything. It doesn’t matter what it is. Take the time to identify it before continuing. For real, think.
Now, why don’t you have it? Be honest with yourself. Have you spent your entire life subconsciously settling for what is in front of you because it is there? Are you content with your life and the things in it because they are in the here and now, and you really don’t have a choice?
We’ve all heard, our entire lives, especially while we’re young, “You can have anything you want and go anywhere in life, if you just set your mind and heart to it” or something along those lines. As wonderful and motivational as it sounds, as young adults, we tend to shrug off such handed-down phrases and replace them with thoughts of what we are going to do this weekend. I hated to admit it to myself, but it’s the truth.
Wow, it sounds so nice to hear, doesn’t it? Imagine all of the things you want to do, places you want to go, times you want to experience and feelings you want to have. Want unforgettable moments that will last a lifetime? Desire the feeling of total fulfillment and appreciation, don’t you? You want proof that such a power exists, allowing you to capture all of this! These thoughts take you away from your current life and mindset as your imagination begins to run wild.
What is “total fulfillment” anyway? Only you can define what this means to you. Is it even possible? Isn’t everything physical the world has to offer only temporary anyway? Won’t you always want more, regardless of what you’ve obtained or achieved?
The idea of total fulfillment is immeasurable and impossible to obtain mostly for one reason and one reason only: the simple fact that most people have no idea what they want in life! Without this realization, how can anyone gain a sense of existence in life?
Is this not what you are after in the first place? Don’t you crave the sense of achievement and successfulness, belonging and security, liberty and happiness? What about the sense that you are who you are because you can be and not because you have to be? Don’t you want a place in your own mind where you can forever declare yourself triumphant? Obsessed with the anticipation of what is next and the sensation of a higher form of appreciation; as yet, you may have only dreamed of what it would feel like to have everything you’ve ever wanted in life. What if the power to achieve total fulfillment did exist?
Go back to the phrase above: “You can have anything you want and go anywhere in life, if you just set your mind and your heart to it.”
Reading and hearing it is one thing. We all can read the same phrase, but interpret it entirely differently. Why is this? Because we all want different things! It feels great to think about everything you truly want in life but it is easy to get discouraged when it feels like it is out of reach. But in reality, is it? The answer is “Absolutely not.” You may think that what you want is impossible to capture because of your current mindset or circumstances, but there may be much more to it than what is on the surface. Understanding how to go about obtaining everything you have ever wanted is where you tend to disbelieve.
“You can have anything you want and go anywhere in life, if you just set your mind and your heart to it.” There it is again! You can hear or read it a hundred times but if you do not understand it, you are missing something. Yes, it might look like just another sentence, but take a closer look. What you may not notice is that it possesses a very powerful word, a word you have used thousands of times throughout your life and haven’t once thought twice about it or what it really means. A word so mistaken and so misunderstood, that truly understanding it and the power it holds brings you the greatest power in the world; the power to do anything, go anywhere and have everything. This power can change your life as you know it and create the world you could have never begun to fathom… if you dare to challenge yourself.
That word is…
W a n t.
W a n t.? What is with the spacing, and how can such an insignificant word in the English language possess such power? This is what I am here to share with you. For starters, it is not an acronym. The individual letters do not represent anything in particular. Honestly, the spacing puts emphasis on the word to separate it from the word with which you may be familiar. Placing a period at the end, even though it is just one word, makes it a very bold statement. Understanding and applying the Power of Want changes your state of mind. It is a revolutionary concept of not just everyday thinking, but living.
So what exactly is W a n t.? Besides the title, it is anything and everything you want it to be. Please pardon my vagueness, but it is! W a n t. is your inner self hinting at your brain that your interests and desires require more than just your attention—they demand action!
Wanting is a natural force within the human psyche and originates in the subconscious depths of your mind, which drives you to do whatever it takes to fulfill the desire within. In other words, your desires are created by the combination of your natural intuition and stimulated by your senses, generating the urge to act upon your desire, providing you realize it. It doesn’t matter what it is, how big or small it may be, what it takes or how long it will take to get it, if you w a n t it badly enough, you will capture it. Regardless of your lifestyle, age, race, financial position or beliefs, understanding the Power of Want, embracing the concept of positivity and its role, will bring you everything you could ever want in life. Not just “thinking positively,” but living positively.
First, you must embrace positivity as not just an idea, but as a lifestyle. Second, realize your desires produced from subconscious interests, intuition and physical senses, then distinguish and analyze them. Once you have done this, consciously strive to capture, then celebrate and appreciate them. The last step is the first step: wanting to complete the cycle. These are the mandatory components in the process of wanting. Don’t worry, everything will be explained in detail so you will be able to fully understand the Power of Want and how to apply and incorporate it into your life.
The things you truly desire in life are basically subliminal extensions of yourself. Your wants are your thoughts turned into actions. Is it not true that it will always be your actions which define you and never your thoughts? Your possibilities become endless when you begin to free yourself of the mental and emotional limitations that have confined you, preventing you from succeeding. So stop wishing and start wanting. Think about it. Every event and moment of your life has brought you to this point. So ask yourself,
“Where is this moment in my life going to take me?”
With this question asked, isn’t it also true that your actions now will directly or indirectly influence your life at some point in the future? The choices and decisions you have made in the past have put you in the position you are in now, right? This is why it is important to continuously realize the things you truly desire.
Have you ever felt great about the things going well in your life, knowing that life was just going to get better? The feeling of knowing what is going to happen in the future is unlike any feeling in the world. It is comforting, yet exciting and empowering. When things are going wrong, your uncertainty and lack of confidence affect your future as well. You may argue that one cannot predict the future and you may be, to a certain degree, correct. But predicting only applies to those things over which you have no control, such as the weather.
So instead of helplessly predicting what you most certainly have no control over, create your future, which you can control. You naturally possess the power to do so. Knowing what is going to happen in your future originates from knowing what you w a n t in life. Are you already acting upon your true desires? Or are you counteracting as a result of your surroundings and circumstances? Why stumble through life not knowing what is going to happen in your future? You are the one creating it!
Why hide behind the face of uncertainty when you have the ability to know this? The world is not ignorant as a result of a lack of knowledge, but from a lack of certainty. Challenge yourself to gain self-knowledge. If you can’t understand the way your mind operates, how can you expect to understand anything? Because you’ve been spoon-fed what you are “supposed” to know opposed to what you “should” know, you may be afraid to reach for true knowledge for yourself. Are you too afraid to challenge not just who has fed you, but what has been fed to you? Don’t you deserve to know? Don’t you deserve the right to know where it came from? You often complain about the information, but rarely do you turn it down, as though it were your only source of available. You have another source for information. I’m talking about “critical thinking”!
Before I go any further, I’m sure some of you may be wondering “Exactly what is ‘critical thinking’?” The best way to describe it, in my own words, is the evaluation of not just your own reasoning, but the reflection upon your experiences and the observance of your environment. You understanding your flaws as well as those of humankind is key to applying critical thinking in your own life. It is the process of consciously striving to improve your world as well as the world in general with positive actions! The idea of “thinking for yourself” plays a significant role in realizing and capturing everything you truly desire. Remember this moving forward.
Life is ordinary and boring when you have nothing to look forward to, drive or motivate you, isn’t it? If today is just the day before tomorrow and tomorrow is just the day in between the day after, you’re doing something wrong. Does your life feel this way? Do you always feel like you are in a fog, as though you can’t see two feet in front of you? Are you constantly struggling helplessly through life’s obstacles with no shining light to guide you? Do you feel as if you know nothing? Have you been searching for understanding in your life, endlessly trying to find its true meaning and what it wants from you? Are you mentally exhausted from seeking reason instead of creating definition? The biggest question is, however, whether or not you choose to believe you already possess the Power you so desire.
So what do you w a n t out of life? What do you w a n t out of this book? This is completely up to you as well. This book is for everybody, whether you already know what you want but don’t know where to go from here or if you just don’t know what you want at all. This book is meant for you too. W a n t. is designed to make you think and analyze life—your life! My purpose is not to tell you what to w a n t nor is it to supply the tool; you were born with this. The only tool required is your mind! I am simply offering new and refreshing instructions and insight on how to use it.
Now, it is time to utilize your
tool to figure out and put everything into perspective. It is time to
push your mind to the max to uncover your true potential. Realizing
what you really w a n
t in life will help
you understand who you really are by helping you gain a sense of
self. Once you begin to understand who you really are, you can then
begin to enjoy all of the wonderful things life has to offer. If you
do not know what you really want in life, how can you know who you
are? The things you truly
w
a n t are you!
If you are thinking this is just another “self-help book,” think again. I am 25 years old. I would like to think I have better things to do with my time than waste it writing a self-help book. This has already been done, obviously. Think of W a n t. as a “self-awakening book.” This is critical thinking with a twist, as I like to refer to it.
Before we get started, use your imagination for just a moment. You are the pilot of a plane. The plane is your life. You can take off and land whenever, wherever you please. While in flight, you are free. Your cargo and passengers are your family, friends, job, relationship and everything that makes up your life. What you must realize is, as the pilot of your aircraft, you are always at the controls. It is up to you whether you choose to be in control or not. Take your hands away for just a few seconds and it could plummet toward the ground at any moment, losing all of your precious cargo. Why would you take such a risk?
You are always at the controls and always responsible for your life. When a plane crashes, rarely is the cargo or passengers the reason, unless you have too much cargo or the wrong passengers aboard. Regardless, as the pilot, you are always held responsible for everything on the plane. So choose your cargo and passengers wisely. Double-check your destinations and the routes you take to get there. Take care of your plane and it will always take you everywhere you want to go. Just remember: you, and only you, are at the controls.
So… are you ready to open yourself up to something new? Something fresh? Do you w a n t a new outlook on life? This is it. Here is your personal manual to life, how to manage it and the key to capturing everything you have ever wanted. Take it slowly and challenge yourself as you go. Use it, then go make life wonderful and enjoy it the way it is supposed to be enjoyed. If you are into speed reading and blasting through material just to say you have read it, then you’re wasting your time and money. The only way this book will be of any value to you is if you truly believe and embrace the contents within. Applying the Power of Want to everyday living will change your life!
So what have you been waiting for? Let’s get started.
Redefined.
Every word has a definition. But does this mean that every word has the correct one? I mean, who am I to challenge the almighty dictionary? At this point, you may be wondering what does the word “want” even mean? In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (New Edition), the first definition given is: “to fail to possess: LACK,” or “falling below standards or expectations.” Wait, what? Failure? I need not define this word for you.
The most common definition is “the desire to possess” or “act upon as a result of personal interest or intuition.” “Wish” is another word commonly used as a verb and a noun, and is often mistaken as meaning the same as “want.” Though both words share the similarities of desire, only one can become an action. It is very important that these two words are separated from one another. This will be explained in detail later. What you are probably most familiar with when it comes to the word “want” is the desire to possess. Keep this in mind moving forward as well.
This couldn’t be right. I decided, after studying the definition that more research would need to be conducted to uncover the root of the problem. I turned to J.I. Rodale’s The Synonym Finder to find things get a little flaky where alternate words are substituted in both verb and noun form. In their respective contexts, “want” is first described as “lacking, missing,” then as “an absence, inadequacy,” a “shortage” or “insufficiency.” You get the picture.
Wanting doesn’t look very promising, does it? In my eyes, the word “want” is misinterpreted, misused and misunderstood as a result of its own definition. These are negative expressions used to describe that which is not obtained or cannot be obtained due to circumstances. Yes, you have the desire to obtain, but obtain you cannot. How can these words represent what you truly desire? Hopelessness and disappointment shouldn’t be a result of wanting something, nor should unavailability ever be an excuse. It simply does not make much sense to me. Words and their meanings change over time, so I needed to dig a little deeper and find the origin of the word and its earliest meaning.
In An Etymology Dictionary of the English Language by Walter William Skeat, 1888, “want” dates back to the twelfth century. The word was first recorded in Middle English in the Ormulum, a collection of biblical exegesis. This work preserves some of the earliest usage of words, punctuation and language for its time. There, the word is spelt “wannt” and is described as a “sense of deficient.” This recording of the term is akin to the Old Norse word “vanta” or “vant” which dates back to the much earlier Viking Age. These variations also stood for “deficient,” proving its ties to the later Old English word, “wan,” which also stood for… you guessed it, “deficient.”
“Wan” forms the relation to its first appearance in the Ormulum. Even to this day, “want” reflects hundreds of years of negativity: “lack, deficiency, indigence” and “need.” Its definition dampers and prevents its own power from becoming what it should be. Could it be that it is not the definition that is wrong, but our interpretation of what is and is not available to us in reality?
Possibly. Wait, something isn’t right here. Why not abundance or plentiful? What about fulfillment or even satisfaction? Sometimes “just enough” does the trick, does it not? It is there. These words do exist! So why can’t you have it? Is this why you don’t bother to try, because you think there is not enough for you? Is what you desire too far away or are the odds not in your favor? You don’t deserve it, do you? Our desires are endless! Is it not possible to want anything and everything, creating infinite possibilities when you act upon them? What if this very simple word has always had the power to change the world but has been masked so it is overlooked? What if it was given its debilitating definition to restrain humankind from accomplishing more than what we have so far?
What if… this word is a secret to life, hidden from us and disguised to create the uncertainty in the world to which we have now become accustomed? Change history? I cannot. But I can create it. I reserve the right to challenge the word and, if I dare, redefine it.
So how do you feel when you see or think about something you want? Do you feel like it is bigger than you because you may not have enough money for it or because you don’t deserve it? Does it feel out of reach or too far away? Do you feel as if you will never have it? This is what the definition implies—THAT IT IS AND YOU WON’T! According to the word’s origin, it clearly states there is a lack. Whatever it is, it exists, but is not present. The definition says you cannot have it! Deficient! There is not enough or you do not have enough! You do not have what it takes! Is this true? Is “want” defining you?
Let’s just say for fun that you aren’t worthy of your desires. The feeling of failure and dissatisfaction engulf all your emotions and thoughts, steering you away from what you have once desired. You are now totally aware that you will never have what you want, eliminating the power you thought you once had. These feelings will strip you of any motivation you may have had to capture anything, leaving you powerless and your interests deemed unworthy. Have you ever felt this way? Have you witnessed the things you have always wanted fade into the uncertainty of life? If this is so, then now is the time for change! It is time for you to define your life by what you w a n t out of it!
In this book, the word “want”
will be used in a variety of ways, as you may have already noticed.
Use the next page for future reference to help you distinguish the
differences between them.
W
a n t. is
not an acronym! The
individual letters do not stand for anything. The word will be
represented as follows throughout the book in its entirety.
Traditional noun and verb:
• “want,” “wanted,” “wanting” or “wants”
• displayed in normal font
• old definition, no emphasis, used in proper context
Redefined verb:
• “w a n t”
• displayed with the letters spaced and in bold font
• refers to the redefined word and process of wanting, not the title of the book unless spelled with a period
Redefined noun:
• “want” or “wants”
• displayed in italicized font
• refers to the actual things desired
• used in the same context as “wish” or “wishes”
For example: “All of this excitement and feeling great creates more wants.” In this sentence, the word “wants” is used in the same context as the word “wishes,” but in the form of a noun. It could be a new car, job, your health, happiness, spirituality or love. It can be anything! You are your wants and your wants are you.
Replacing the negative energy the word has possessed for hundreds of years with a new, positive meaning gives it new life and, more significantly, new outcomes! Instead of wanting something because there is not enough or it is not possible under the circumstances, the energy is applied to wanting it because you can have it! Do you see the difference positivity gives, providing new meaning and power to the word? W a n t. is not just the title of this book, but also the state of mind. This concept of critical thinking will forever remain not just a positive thought, but also a positive action, be it a verb or a noun. I like to call it “critical living.” From here on out, when you w a n t something, it is no longer everything you do not have, but nothing you cannot have.
The first concept you must learn in grasping the Power of Want is to understand and believe it IS a power and no longer just a word anymore. W a n t is natural intuition, which originates from deep within the human mind; an undeniable force which has existed since the beginning of our very existence as human beings. Take that how you may. This subject has been explored numerous times, but never explained like this. Toss out the old definition and let’s start over.
What do you really
W
a n t?
Capturing and embracing the Power of Want is a beautiful thing. It changes you, your mentality and your attitude toward life. You become a different person by creating the “you” you’ve always wanted to be—a new, positive you. You begin to feel empowered and invincible, and this is okay. Nothing is going to keep you from what you w a n t. That is, except for you. And there is no way you are about to let this happen—are you?
Suddenly, your life begins to take shape and form. The things once unclear are now perfectly transparent. Everything around you begins to slowly start working in your favor while you are enjoying every second of what life has become. You realize you possess the Power of Want and now it is time to celebrate! It is contagious! People are now attracted to you in every way possible. Whatever it is, you have it and the things which used to bother you and let you down are now insignificant and petty. Anxiety, stress and negativity are gone. The days of wondering and worrying have passed. You’ve surrounded yourself with positive people who appreciate and inspire you. You’ve also separated yourself from those who remain uncertain and without change. These are the people who have taken advantage of you, held you back and left you behind in the past.
Though the Power of Want and its method take no physical form to the naked eye, the proof is highly visible to those around you taking note of your recent changes. While your life is changing, others wonder why their life is not. Your confidence and newfound positive attitude have become a beaming spotlight and cannot be ignored. They see your new attitude, the places you’re going, the opportunities arising, the goals you are achieving and the wonderful people in your life. They see the respect you have for yourself and the appreciation you have for the things in your life.
While their life lacks proof, yours is abundant! You carry yourself unlike anyone they have ever met before, almost as if you know something they do not. Strangely, you just might. Others become curious and fascinated with you and your life. They listen closely to what you say to pick up on valuable information. They come for advice. They come for support. They come for answers. They watch you closely, often without being seen. This is okay, just be mindful that they could be in the position you were once in. You can never tell. Share your knowledge with those who could use it. Teach them, but do not let them follow. They must blaze a path for themselves. You are there to create opportunity with your knowledge.
It is obvious to you what is going on, but they have no idea what you possess. Or they have yet to realize what they themselves possess. You own the Power of Want and it is yours forever to do with it as you please. You have become the Power and are now living it, so be careful and kind. The attention you are receiving is gratifying. More is to come as you progress and evolve, but in no way should you flaunt your changes. Doing so creates tension, which ultimately creates negativity. If you feel this way, then you are doing something very wrong. You must manage your changes positively. Just because you have realized that you possess the Power of Want does not make you better than anybody else. They too possess it, but have yet to realize it. By embracing the Power, you become a new breed of leader. If you feel you cannot take on this responsibility, put this book down.
You will come to realize that the Power of Want and the concept of positive living are humbling and pure. If your wants are in sync with the moral values, beliefs and principles by which you live your life, you will live a full and exciting life. Love and passionately enjoy the things you have! Feelings, moments, people, material objects… doesn’t matter! Appreciate what you have and the changes occurring in your life and those around you will admire and respect it. Failure to do so creates envy. Be thankful for your wants every single day.
As a leader, you become a provider of inspiration and irrevocable knowledge. Carrying yourself arrogantly and flaunting your changes is NOT the Power of Want. You were not ready for the responsibilities of being a leader so you failed. So be ready. Never look down upon anyone, because you never know who is looking up to you. And as a leader, you are not to produce followers, but more leaders. You are responsible for providing knowledge for others to create opportunities for themselves; in other words, empower!
Since the Power is infinite, it is forever. It will never go away and it will never stop… unless you choose not to use it. It will always remain a positive thought and positive action! Think about the things you truly w a n t. Think about all of the things you have ever wanted. Think about it differently than you have in the past. Think about it positively! Imagine it. Visualize it. Feel it! It makes you feel good, doesn’t it? Wanting creates the wonderful feeling you can _________ [fill in the blank]. It works because it possesses so much positive energy that it has the power to move you! It empowers you to do anything, go anywhere and have anything! You naturally possess this power; you just have to uncover it and use it to take you to new heights! Now, it is time to put it to work.
How to.
Now that you have a better understanding of the old and the new definition as well as the Power, the next thing you must do before you begin to start the W a n t. Process is: evaluate your own life. The ONLY way to start the process is to look back—at everything! Think about the people in your past and present who have hurt you or let you down. Think about the things you have lost, the things you have learned along the way or failed to learn. Relive all of the events, those which have crushed you, left you lost or feeling out of place. Visually return to all of the great things that have happened in your life as well, the blessings, miracles, victories, accomplishments and the things you now have for which you are thankful. Everything must be retrieved and organized in order to continue with the W a n t. Process. Where things began to unravel or become cloudy is where you must begin. Now, retrace your steps.
In order for the looking-back stage to be successful, you must set time apart from your busy and hectic schedule to relax and write these things down. The more time you can allot for yourself, the better. Find a quiet location in your home or a place you can go to get away from your normal settings so you can focus without being too distracted by commotion. You also want to find a place that works for you, so move around until you find the right spot. Find a place that is inspirational or calming, such as a nature trail or a park, for example. Make sure, before you start, that you have a notebook and a pen or pencil handy.
Use old pictures, journal entries and sentimental items to help you dig deeper and give you visuals. Even the things you don’t necessarily care to look at have to be analyzed with your thoughts and memories. If it hurts, then it hurts. This is a sign that you’ve come across something that could potentially be holding you back. The best advice I can give you is to take your time! There is no need to rush this process! Don’t forget to date your records. Once you feel as if you’ve gone back far enough and uncovered enough information to be able to assist you in the future, let it all go. Find peace with it and within yourself. Forgive if you must! It is time to move on to better things!
Your life and all of your past events and decisions must be carefully examined so you can learn from them. Each moment contains vital information needed to create a better you. These moments are what have gotten you here. In order to start fresh, you first have to look at how you got here. Both understanding why and re-evaluating your past actions are essential. How you reacted to those events and whether or not you took responsibility for them is even more crucial to successfully proceeding with the process. Examine your feelings, why you had them and if they had a role to play in the path you consciously or subconsciously chose which led you to better or worse times.
Nobody can look back at their life and say they have done everything perfectly. And nobody can look back at your life as you can. Set your pride and ego aside, and excavate. Leave no stone unturned. You will find thoughts you may have overlooked or ignored along the way. Don’t just think about your past, go back and relive those moments in your mind. Pull as much as you can remember back to the surface for analyzing. The happy moments as well as the sad ones should be analyzed in great detail. Do it over and over again until you realize WHY it happened and why it happened to you. Everything leading up to and after is just as important as the actual event.
You’ll know if you are doing this process correctly if you FEEL the way you felt at the very moment it happened. It should hurt. It should make you feel good. Your memory should bring back everything if you are willing to be patient with it. Go in chronological order to help you organize your thoughts. Go back as far as you can and start from there, working your way to right now. Remember: this is a slow process so there is no need to rush.
In order to take the first step toward a new “you,” your past must be thoroughly analyzed. Review your life and everything before now as not just a chapter, but as a book you just finished. Be it good or bad, you are now reading this book. The looking back stage can be more painful for some than others, but reflecting (not dwelling) on your past is a healthy approach to creating your future. You cannot move forward without learning from your past. More importantly, great appreciation must be formed for these past events regardless of how negative they were. They are what have brought you to now and new beginnings. Without this appreciation, the negativity you still exert toward your past will prevent you from better things in the future.