Do You Ask For What You Really Want?

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him. The waitress asks them for their orders.

The man says, ‘A hamburger, fries and a coke,’ and turns to the ostrich, ‘What’s yours?’

‘I’ll have the same,’ says the ostrich.

A short time later the waitress returns with the order ‘That will be $9..40 please,’ and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.

The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, ‘A hamburger, fries and a coke.’

The ostrich says, ‘I’ll have the same.’

Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.

This becomes routine until the two enter again. ‘The usual?’ asks the waitress.

‘No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and a salad,’ says the man.

‘Same,’ says the ostrich.

Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, ‘That will be $32.62.’

Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table.

The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. ‘Excuse me, sir.. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change in your pocket every time?’

‘Well,’ says the man, ‘several years ago I was cleaning the attic and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there.’

‘That’s brilliant!’ says the waitress. ‘Most people would ask for a million dollars or something, but you’ll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!’

‘That’s right. Whether it’s a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there,’ says the man..

The waitress asks, ‘What’s with the ostrich?’

The man sighs, pauses and answers, ‘My second wish was for a tall chick with a big butt and long legs who agrees with everything I say….’

Priorities…something that takes precedence.

First, decide what really matters to you. Is your life leading you in that direction? Are your goals set with that final outcome or purpose in mind? Do you make a conscious effort to act and perform in such a manner as to get you to that goal of precedence?

If you have that under control, the second step is to ensure that you are effective in communicating your priorities. Are you getting an ostrich instead of a babe?

Our actions reflect our priorities very clearly. If we scream and curse at our companion, neglect our children, lie to our employer, cheat on our taxes, and gossip behind our friends backs, the message is very clear whether we are aware of it or not.

“Mom, isn’t this pretty?” she asks while holding up a blue shirt.
“Uh huh,” the mother replies without even looking up from her own rack of clothing.

Very simple. Very loud message.

The daughter sees and hears, “You are not important enough for me to take time to pay attention to you and your opinions do not matter to me.”

Is that the message you want to convey?

Be in the moment.

Everyone loves the movie The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson, but are we getting the real message?

The message means more than just stopping to smell the roses. You must get out of the car, lean down, sniff, and enjoy the fragrance that follows.

What do you do in your own life to ensure that you are in the moment?