Have you every wished you would get lucky and win the lottery some day?
Although a lot of people think suddenly striking it rich would solve all their problems, there are numerous stories of people who hit the jackpot and yet come to find their life afterwards wasn’t everything they expected. Sure they had more money, but they also had everybody and their brother asking for favors — or trying to sue them. They thought they knew what they wanted, but when they got it, they realized they didn’t fully understand what they were getting themselves into.
Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way. —Proverbs 19:2
How often do we have a deep desire for something, but don’t have a true understanding of what we’re asking for?
Perhaps we see what others have — their wealth or fame or family or power — and long to have it. Sometimes we may even think that if we just had that one thing — maybe more money or a different relationship or that promotion — then all our problems would be solved. And so we pursue it, not realizing that if we weren’t happy or content without it, we won’t be once we get it.
Other times, our lack of knowledge is not about what we’re pursuing, but how to get there. Maybe we underestimate what’s involved in actually accomplishing our target.
Think about someone who wants to be great at guitar or the keys, but doesn’t fully understand how much time they’ll need to spend practicing scales and fingering and other basic skills. If they think they’ll be able to master the instrument quickly, they may either grow disillusioned, or give up, when they find out the time commitment that’s required.
Or maybe our lack of knowledge doesn’t lead to disillusionment, but rather, because we don’t know the path forward, it leads to a lot of wrong turns. We end up making false starts and going down dead ends, or missing opportunities right in front of us, all because we don’t know what we’re looking for.
Pursing a desire isn’t bad, but there are a few questions to keep in mind before beginning the chase. First, why do I actually want this? What are my motivations? Next, do I know what’s involved in actually getting it? If not, who can I learn from who’s been down this road before? And finally, am I willing to stick it out if things are harder and take longer than anticipated?
We may not know everything that will happen along the journey, but it does make sense to do a little due diligence before heading out. Better to take a little time and know what we’re getting ourselves into, than to blindly chase whatever desire comes our way.