Getting Ahead of Ourselves

For the past few months, a newlywed coworker of mine has been looking at houses.  Living in their overstuffed (but fabulous) one-bedroom is putting a strain on the relationship between her and her husband.  They both work long hours and I have a feeling she's looking for something new to get excited about.  A few weeks ago she and her realtor found a steal.  It was priced low for the neighborhood, had a huge back yard and was seemingly everything she was looking for.  She had even envisioned the little garden she could spend the summer building out back. 

Unfortunately, it was such a great deal that she was outbid with all-cash offers from investors.  She was definitely disappointed and had to jump back in to the house hunt that much more disheartened.  At lunch that week, one of our brokers commented that she should refrain from envisioning new gardens, window treatments, etc. until an offer is accepted on a house.  To which I replied: we're women, it's what we do. 

And I firmly believe that life would be no fun at all if we weren't allowed to get a little ahead of ourselves.  We'd have no hopes or dreams if we couldn't picture ourselves in an idealized world.  Reality isn't always fun, but anticipating the future and daydreaming is.  It gives us direction and sometimes even clarifies our purpose.  Now, I'm saying this because sometimes I think I do it too much.

Obviously I spend a lot of time thinking about, working on, and being at school.  I'm spending a ton of money and energy on my MBA and to get me through it I picture what I will be able to do when I'm done.  The kind of life I will live, job I will have... even the feeling of accomplishment after it's all done.  As I try to decide what kind of jobs I want or even what city I eventually want to live in, I need to picture what I think or want the rest of my life to look like. 

There is a school of thought that says you need to envision things to make them happen.  Isn't that was 'The Secret' is all about?  We all make things happen in our lives and having a powerful vision is no small part one's ability to conquer a problem, take a risk, make a leap of faith, create something new and be great.  After all, you can't do something if you can't see it happening.

Sometimes I have a tendency to jump in with too much enthusiasm.  I picture something I like and go for it.  And often I get hurt.  I'm getting increasingly better at dusting myself off and trying again, but sometimes I feel like those around me become frustrated on my behalf.  This is particularly true when it comes to relationships.  I'm easily excited and enthusiastic.  Part of me thinks that I can will most things to happen, while another (more rational) part thinks that I should chill out.  But what fun is life when you can't allow yourself to go after what you really want, in all aspects of your life.