Dear Pogue,

Sometimes all the magic there is is all the magic you make. Like, you’re responsible for how the world functions. Not necessarily the events because in life things can happen to us. You must have had occasions when you’ve just stopped and had to take a breath whilst thinking, “Didn’t see that one coming!” It happens, especially when dealing with other people. People are way unpredictable!

But it’s what you do with what happens to you that creates the potential for magic.

Ok, so firstly, how do you see the world? You know the old adage about being a glass half empty or a glass half full sort of person? There is so much wisdom in that simple statement.

I know this person who when asked “What do you want?” will give a list of all the things they don’t want. The list is usually well thought through, but when the list ends and I repeat the original question, well they’re just not able to tell me. They are vague and unsure. I guess at least they have protected themself against disappointment but their life is not going to progress.

There is no magic in that. No possibility. Nothing to reach for or dreams to bring into being and dreaming is what brings the magic into being.

I crossed paths with another person who just saw the best in everything. His clouds were silver lined and some! Faced with a failing situation his mind would immediately go looking for a solution. “There are always options” he would reminded me. And there are, even if the solution is as basic as how I choose to mentally and emotionally deal with something. Do I go to anger and become bitter? Rant at Heaven and project blame? Or do I take responsibility for myself and opt to move on?

And his glass?

His half full glass was always going to achieve so much and it did. It never seemed to empty. There was magic in his world. He probably wouldn’t have called it magic but what ever term he would had applied he wouldn’t have expected less. You know the saying “you get what you think about all day long”? You guessed it. He thought about having enough, being able to achieve things, things happening in his life and they did. Undeterred he would put himself out there over and over. Did he get all he set out to achieve? No, but he got a lot, and what you and I might see as failure was greeted as a lesson learnt and a step to wisdom for the next time.

One glass, two approaches. One tinged with despondency, fear of failure, lack and sucking the life from possibility. The other strutting the magic of life. There’s a choice. If you’ve long lived with your glass half empty it may be a hard choice. It may take a continual talking into your situation and countering initial thoughts. Making actual decisions to find good and positive things. Reasons why.

If you find yourself seeing the bad in a situation, if you have a long list of what you don’t want, if you find that what you do want is ring fenced by obstacles because you can see all the reasons it won’t come to be, take a break. How many of the possible reasons for failure are in your mind? How many are creatures of imagination? OK, so now work the magic. The world is full of possibilities. Imagine some of those. Explore them. Change the view. Do it repeatedly. Even entertain some wild and fanciful wishes and dreams. The ones that make you smile. Work your own magic. Because sometimes all the magic there is is all the magic you make.

Yours, behaving like Harry Potter,

Wic.