One Wish

Today may seem like any other day. You've gone about yourregular routine working, playing, stressing, relaxing, worrying,dreaming, thinking, feeling, taking care of everyone else—youknow the drill. However, I believe today will prove to be verydifferent.

What you'll read in this book is not only for the mind tounderstand, it will also serve as nourishment for the soul.

Since the soul likes to have fun and play, let's start off with agame my friends and I used to play as children.

"It is a happy talent to know how to play."-Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)American Philosopher & Poet

It's called "One Wish". Here's how it works: you get one wishfor anything you want. But there is one limitation, you can't wishfor more wishes. Other than that, the sky's the limit. Go aheadand take a minute to think about it. Choose carefully, becauseyou only get one.

Once you've decided, please pause here and note whatyou'd wish for.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So, what did you wish for?

Success? Money? Millions? Billions? A mansion? Your dreamcar? A luxury vacation? The opportunity to travel around theworld? A new wardrobe? Something to make your family's lifeeasier? Maybe you wished for some change to your physicalappearance. Maybe you just want everyone to think you'rehot!

Maybe you think material things are superficial. Did you wishfor that special someone, your soul mate? Someone who willlove and accept you exactly as you are? Maybe you wished forgood health or eternal health for someone you love. Did you wishfor a child? Maybe you just want to be respected or revered byothers.

Or are you more spiritual? Did you wish for enlightenment?Maybe you want to experience some of the inexplicable magicthe universe holds. How about an out-of-body experience?Maybe you wished to be free of the ego altogether. Would youlike to read minds? Maybe you want to be the best version of youthat you can possibly be.

Maybe you have desires that go beyond you. Did you wishfor world peace? Maybe you wished to leave your mark. Youknow, change the world for the better. Did you wish to save manfrom himself?

You may have wished for something I haven't evenmentioned.

Whatever you wished for, take a moment to think about whyyou would use your one and only wish on that.

Deep down inside, why do you want that one thing aboveall others? What will it give you?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When you get down to the very core of it, I'll bet you wishedthat wish because you think it will make you happy.

That's the one wish we all have in common. While we mayhave different ideas about what it is that will make us happy, everyhuman being is hungry to be happy. Background doesn't matter.Education, status, age, looks, achievements, experience—noneof these things matter. We all just want to be happy. Being happywill make us feel full. Doesn't seem like a tall order does it? Yethere we are in the twenty-first century, and this is the one thingthat still seems to elude mankind.

We have made amazing advancements in so many areas.Technology allows us to accomplish feats that are Jetson-like.Our cars can give us directions. The internet gives us instantaccess to answers for any question we may have, wirelessly.Advancements in biotechnology have many experts predictingwe'll be able to buy an artificial version of any body part, exceptthe brain and central nervous system, by the 2020's. We havemore entertainment options than ever. We have billions of things,all designed to make our lives easier—to make us happy.

Despite all our achievements, why are there so many peoplewho are still unhappy? We seem to be starving for happiness. Itseems the more things, choices, achievements and opportunities,we have, the hungrier we've become.

Please consider the following information that demonstratesthe impact of our nation's stress and unhappiness:A June, 2012, article published by the American PsychologicalAssociation stated:

• The use of psychotropic drugs by adult Americans increased22 percent from 2001 to 2010, with one in five adults nowtaking at least one psychotropic medication

• In 2010, Americans spent more than $16 billion onantipsychotics, $11 billion on antidepressants and $7 billionfor drugs to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

According to a 2011 study in the PloS ONE journal:

• Tweets steadily trended towards unhappiness over a threeyear period.

From Gallup's 2013 State of the Workplace Report:

• The vast majority of U.S. workers are actively disengagedand not reaching their full potential—a problem that hassignificant implications for the economy and the individualperformance of American companies.

• Gallup estimates that active disengagement costs the U.S.$450 billion to $550 billion per year

To put this in perspective, $550 billion is sixty-seven percent ofthe net profits from all Fortune 500 companies combined.

Another APA article called "How Does Stress Affect Us?"reports:

• 75 to 90 percent of all physician office visits are for stress-relatedailments and complaints.

Stress is linked to the six leading causes of death—heartdisease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver,and suicide.

In a 2010 blog, Robert Leahy, Ph.D., Director, AmericanInstitute for Cognitive Therapy in New York City wrote:

• Depression is widespread and it is getting worse.

• Sadly, it hits the young and old alike.

• Depression has human costs that we all know of: sadness,sense of isolation, feeling like a burden, inability to enjoy lifeand suicide. There are also economic costs that are alsosignificant—indeed, alarming.

• Depressed individuals are five times more likely to abusedrugs.

• Depression is the leading cause of medical disability forpeople aged 14 to 44.

• People with symptoms of depression are 2.17 times more likelyto take sick days. And when they are at work their productivityis impaired—less ability to concentrate, lower efficiency, andless ability to organize work.

• In one study the costs of absenteeism were directly relatedto actually taking antidepressant medication.

I did not include numbers related to addiction—injuries, healthimplications, productivity loss or workplace violence (which is onthe rise). But I'm sure I've...