My mate had just come home from a week away and we wanted to do something really fun on his day off work. He said we could do anything I wanted. (Love it when he says that!)

My first choice, as always in summer, was to go waterskiing. We needed one more person to join us (one person skis, another drives the boat, and the third person observes the skier, alerting the driver if they fall). I voiced my concern about it being hard to get someone last minute. Maybe we should just go kayaking in the bay.

Whoops! I’d already given up the desire before I’d even asked anyone to come play with us! I caught myself as soon as I said it. My mate looked at me with a face that said, “Hello! Of course we’ll be able to get someone to go with us.” And we did!

I’ve seen other people do similar things with really important desires. Sam was looking for a house in the town I live. He found his dream house at a price that was almost perfect. He made an offer to the seller that was less than the asking price. His offer was still outside of his desired price range, but it felt doable.

As he waited to hear back from the buyer, to see if she had accepted his offer, his emotions went into a downward spiral.

He gave his internal conversation even more power by pacing around my house saying things like: “What if she doesn’t accept our offer? We may have to move to that other house that needs some work. We can’t afford to pay what she is asking. What if our real estate agent for the home we’re selling doesn’t get the info needed to the seller here?”

It got worse from there. He was already throwing in the towel before he’d heard any news from his agent.

Needless to say, nothing changed until Sam changed his story about having a winning outcome.

Many years ago, in a personal growth seminar, I heard something that stuck with me. Always run through the finish line. It reminds me to continue to focus on the goal whether it looks like I’ll win or not.

When I get fuzzy thoughts about reaching a goal, my focus is diluted. I must stay clear that I will make it to the end result. This kind of focus brings clarity, energy, and new ideas. Giving up because life seems to not be yielding the results fast enough is a strategy for failure.

I often tell a story about a crab feed I went to every year. One particular year, I’d bought raffle tickets with the intent to win the grand prize. It was a big television and I didn’t have enough money back then to buy one that fancy.

In my mind’s eye, I saw myself taking that big boy home. It was very clear that I was going to win. When they called the grand prize ticket number, my friend Boomer jumped up. He had the winning ticket.

Hey! I thought it was my TV?! What happened to my clear intention?

Guess what? Boomer brought the TV to my house and said he intended to give it to me. Oh, wow! I thought him claiming the prize meant that I’d lost. Not true. The game wasn’t over when I thought it was.

I encourage you to remember that the game of manifesting is never over. You never miss your boat. Keep your eye on the finish line and run through it with confidence and joy. When you expect to win, the journey is always fun!