To read the details of Stormy's Question, see the Blog HERE.  

To start at lesson 1 go HERE

Very good, you made it here faster than I thought. So let's see, where was I?  Oh Yeah.....

So let's see what we know so far. Ned and Ted  under the tree, hot day, wishing for an apple....blah ...blah

We learned in Lesson 2 that Ted got what he wanted because he made a plan to get it. So how did Ted come up with a plan and Ned didn't, when they both had the idea about the ladder? 

 Let's assume for the sake of our lesson that the cost of time and labor  to get the ladder are equal for both Ted and Ned. That no other variable is a factor . Then what made the difference?

Lesson 3

To know HOW to get it, you must know the COST.

As I mentioned earlier, most people don't get what they want by not defining exactly what they want. This is where the majority of people who do define a want and still not get that want, fail. They fail to develop a plan to get their wish. Without a plan a want is still a wish. Both Ned and Ted knew that getting the ladder would make getting this apple easier.

Ned failed at this point. He did not want the apple enough to spend the time and labor to get the ladder. His want for the apple did not outweigh the outlay of resources required.  At this point one of two things are true. Either he really doesn't want the apple, he just wishes he did. Or he failed to know to make a plan to get it. The value that Ned placed on the apple was not worth the cost it would take to get it.

While our example here is a very simple plan, it's a very simple want. The amount of planning required to getting your want rises exponentially with the complexity of the want. It's a lot easier to plan to get an apple, than it is to plan to bake an apple pie.

So let's see what Ted was thinking when he developed his plan. First he thought about climbing up the tree to get the apple. He saw how high up the tree he would have to climb. He thought about how much effort ( Labor) he would have to use, and how long (Time) it would take. Let's say it's a tall tree, and it would take him half an hour to climb it. Then he would have to climb out on the branch where the apple was. The branch was swaying in the wind up there, and adds to the risk of falling. If he were to fall out of the tree, the cost of getting the apple outweighs any reward he would enjoy from the apple. Then, if he didn't fall, he would still have to climb down the tree before he could enjoy the apple. He weighed the risk to the reward and decided he did not want the apple that bad. 

  But then Ted thought of the ladder in the barn. He thought about how heavy the ladder is (Labor), and how long (Time) it would take to walk to the barn and get the ladder. Let's say for this example the barn is 5 minutes away. It would take 10 minutes to walk to the barn and walk back with the ladder. Plus the time it would take to put the ladder back. Then it would take 5 minutes to go up and down the ladder.  We're at 20 minutes. If  he wanted to enjoy the rest of the afternoon under the apple tree, it would take 5 minutes to walk back after putting the ladder away. 25 minutes at most.

Then he thought of the Labor involved. He knew the ladder was tall, and that made it heavy. But Ted thought the amount of Labor using the ladder was much less than that of climbing the tree. Getting the ladder would take 25 minutes, instead of the hour it would take to climb up and down the tree.

At this point, Ted thought getting the apple was worth the cost of getting the ladder. The apple was worth the Time and Labor required to get that apple. It was at this point Ted's wish became a want. He had found a way to get the apple. He decided the exchange of Time and Labor to get the apple was worth the reward of eating the apple. He decided the value of the apple was worth more than the cost to get it.

It does happen that during the planning stage of this process you don't find a way you feel is worth the cost involved to achieve the reward you want. In fact, it's very common. Many times, if you actually look into it, many things are not worth the cost of acquiring them. Some wants are best forgotten, some are best left as wishes. If it's possible the cost of the want will change in the future, leave it as a wish. Otherwise, move on to other wishes and dreams. That's the best way to find something you really want. Before there is a want, there is usually a wish. It's not a bad thing to move on to other things to find other wants. That's the smart thing to do.

  So what have we learned? To turn your wish into a want, you have to take into account what it will cost to get that want. What you are willing to spend to get a want depends on the value of the want. Different people will place different values on the same want. The key to getting what you want is to decide the value of the want is worth the cost of getting it. Many wishes are not. The planning stage is also an excellent way to help you decide if you really want your wish or not.

I will now take your questions;

Yes, you should do a risk against reward check for any want. It helps you decide if you really want it or not. Many times, after you see what it would take to get what you wish for, it's not worth the cost. The value of the want is not worth the cost to get it. This is not a bad thing. It helps you move on from that wish, and on to other things. The next wish may be even better. Remember, before there can be a want, there must be a wish. 

Yes, it is possible that the value of the reward can change, just like the cost can change. This is covered in another lesson.

Yes, sometimes it takes many wishes to find a want. One thing for sure, you won't find one without wishing. Where people make the mistake is only wishing though.  Nothing is accomplished by wishing alone. The key to getting what you want is committing that wish into a want. Find out what you really want, you will get it. Every Time.

Yes, Every Time. It becomes a matter of cost. That too is explained in a later lesson.

To Recap;

To get what you WANT, you must know WHAT you want.

Once you KNOW what you want, you must know HOW to get it.

To know HOW to get it, you must know the COST.

This now concludes Lesson 3

I will tell you when the test is over.

When you have mastered this lesson, Click HERE

To read the details of Stormy's Question, see the Blog HERE.