There’s a quote from one of my favorite books, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: “And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
If this is true, then it’s comforting to believe that there’s a big, badass buddy helping you with life: the universe.
There lies a particular allure within the idea of wanting what you cannot have. An inability to attain it allows this thing you’re seeking to remain a fantasy, a mere idea that you can always mold into perfection within the confines of your own head. When you don’t quite have something, you bear no risk of loss or letdown. Reaching for it but never quite grasping it allows you to perpetuate this circular waltz that only dances inside of your dreams.
For years, I chased after an almost relationship. And after years of continuous hope and heartbreak, I asked my sister why it never worked out. “And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it!” I screamed in frustration.
“Exactly,” she replied. “You are at war with yourself because deep down, you know you don’t really want it. That’s why the universe isn’t helping you. You don’t want it. You don’t want him.”
I paused, wide-eyed at her conjecture. For the first time, I was staring at a dusty truth that I had buried in order to protect a fantasy, something that was never really real and something that I never really wanted.
Alas, the quote still stands true. The universe will help you. You just have to actually want what you’re chasing—not the idea or potential of it. So the next time you find yourself in pursuit of an evasive goal, stop, take a few breaths, and ask yourself, “Do I really want this?”
In times of adversity, people often ask the universe for a sign, something to guide them in the right direction to make the right decision. Consider taking the universe’s lack of a sign as a sign. It may be telling you to step back and take a closer look at what you’re really asking for. Maybe it’s the universe’s way of telling you to pursue what you actually want. Perhaps the universe is directing you to desire something else, something real.