Last night, I was lying with my family on a picnic blanket under the stars. It was Perseid season. One shooting star followed another – and at some point, my children started asking questions:
“Do I have to make my wish while the shooting star is still visible?”
“Can I save my wish for later?”
“Can I give it to someone else?”
And finally came the question that turned our evening into a little wish workshop:
“Dad, what do I have to do to make my wish really come true?”
A wonderful question.
Because wishes have been with us since childhood. At the same time, we learn strange rules: “Don’t tell anyone your wish, or it won’t come true.”
But what if we looked at it the other way around?
Not in an esoteric sense. A shooting star won’t make our wish come true. But it can remind us that we are still allowed to have wishes in the first place.
From an Idea to a Path
One of my sons wants to become an inventor. One of his ideas is a machine that takes in polluted air and makes it cleaner again.
I could simply say, “Nice wish.”
But as a coach, I’m interested in the questions that come next:
What exactly do you want to invent? What would you need to learn? What could you start trying today?
Suddenly, the wish begins to take shape.
This is exactly where goal-setting methods such as the SMART method can help. A goal becomes specific, measurable, attractive, realistic, and time-bound.
“I’d like to do that someday…” becomes something for which I can identify a first step.
“You Just Have to Believe in It”
That’s what my neighbor said that evening.
But how does this belief in ourselves actually develop?
In my work as a mental coach, I see it time and again: It’s not enough to tell someone, “You just have to believe in yourself.”
We need experiences.
A first manageable step can lead to a first sense of achievement. From that can come the realization: “I can make a difference.” And with further experiences, something can grow that psychology calls self-efficacy: confidence in our own ability to overcome challenges.
Perhaps that’s why we should actually voice some of our wishes. Not everyone needs to know about them. But the right people can encourage us, show us new possibilities, or support us in taking the next step.
And Suddenly, I Ran Out of Wishes
The shooting stars kept appearing – but eventually, I began to run out of wishes.
Later, I was lying on our picnic blanket, my family beside me, that vast sky above us.
And I fell asleep.
Happy.
The next morning, I realized something:
Maybe one of my wishes had already come true.
Time with my family. No appointments. Nothing I had to do. Just lying together beneath the stars.
Perhaps discovering goals doesn’t always mean searching for the next goal.
Sometimes, it also means recognizing which of our past wishes have already become part of the life we live today.
And for everything else:
It’s never too late to wish for something again.
The shooting star may not make the wish come true.
But it can remind us to look up, say our wish out loud, and take the first step ourselves.
Find your wish. Discover your goal. Find your path.
