WIGs

NO! NO! NO!...not THESE kinds of wigs!!

 W I G = Wildly Improbable Goal

In January, my friend, Amanda, wrote a post on her blog about WIGs.  I read it then, but only really thought about the goals that she had listed for herself...opening a school, having a children's museum, and owning a bookstore.  (I would totally shop at THAT bookstore, by the way!!)  But then, for some reason, I read her post again yesterday and got something COMPLETELY different out of it. 

"Writer Martha Beck calls unrealistic goals WIGs: Wildly Improbable Goals.  She says, "... learning to invite and accept your own WIG can awaken you to a kind of ubiquitous, benevolent magic, a river of enchantment that perpetually flows to your destiny."

(...doesn't that remind you of that Billy Joel album?)

I have actually met Martha Beck.  I spent 15 minutes in a limo with her in Chicago in 2002 and the things she said made a lasting impression.  We didn't talk about WIGs.  We talked about doormats.  But she's one of those people who can look at you for 20 seconds and have your whole personality totally pegged.  You know, those people who cross your path for a second, but last for a lifetime? 

Here's more of what she says about WIGs...

"A WIG is exciting. Just thinking about a WIG will get your heart pounding. Working toward your WIG (writing a book, writing a screenplay, getting signed on as a contributor at a mass-market magazine) takes hard work. Lots of hard work.

And at the end of that hard work, as Beck points out, you achieve your goal, but there's a twist. You never achieve it exactly as you envisioned it - you achieve something even better, something you could never have imagined.

"At this point, I hope you're wondering how you can set your own Wildly Improbable Goals. The problem is, you can't. WIGs are to normal thoughts what Siberian tigers are to house cats, and your "right mind" doesn't have the hunting skills to find them. Fortunately, your WIGs can find you. The knowledge of your destiny may stalk you for years, undetected except for occasional moments of longing or hope that glint like eyeshine in your darkest hours. Then when you least expect it, a WIG will leap out of nowhere and overwhelm you in one breathtaking burst.

"Being struck by a WIG is nothing like setting an ordinary goal. First of all, you'll notice that it is not something you thought up; it seems to come from somewhere beyond thought. Second, you'll feel an almost physical jolt of yearning, as though your heart is straining toward its destiny. Third, you'll have the vertiginous sensation of your mind boggling. If you haven't experienced this before, you'll probably feel overwhelmed. You won't even be able to imagine the mess of work and luck necessary to make it happen. The very idea will seem impossible - almost. That "almost" will tickle the edges of your consciousness, tempting you to believe that somehow, someway, your dream may fall just inside the realm of probability. How can you be sure? You can't. Fortunately, your first step is simple: Write down your WIG. In detail. Immediately, before you regain your sanity and lose your nerve."

I realized when I read that that I have had WIGs all my life...a handful of them that I have actually realized...

When I was a little girl, I LOVED Donny and Marie.  (I know, you're probably thinking this sounds ridiculous, but stick with me for a minute...it'll be worth it.)

There was something more than just the music that I was drawn to.  I wanted to know everything about them.  I wanted to be where they were.  I wanted to meet them.  My parents loved traveling, so one year I remember BEGGING them to take me to Provo, UT so that I could see where the Osmonds lived.  It was life changing, really.  They were that first glimpse into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 
And everything after that pilgrimage has been like filling in the pieces of a puzzle that was outlined on that trip...the part where I met one of a handful of LDS kids in my high school to date and eventually marry...the part where I met 2 amazing sister missionaries in college and was baptized...the part where my husband and I were sealed in the SLC Temple and MARIE OSMOND just happened to be sitting in the foyer on that very day!
Have I mentioned that I totally don't believe in accidents?   

Another realized WIG was meeting my mother.  I longed for it when I was a teenager and had glimpses of it when I had my own children.  But what I saw in those "visions" and what I wanted out of the relationship, I knew were "wildly improbable" goals.  
But guess what...thanks to technology, the miracle of air travel, and an adventurous spirit (or two), the reality of that WIG has been better than I ever imagined it in my head.  
  
I have current WIGs.  Some of them I've widely publicized...like the major renovation plans for my house in Mendon.  And others are deeply personal.   

I love that I stumbled upon Amanda's post yesterday and that because of it, I've thought about the amazing things that have happened in my life and the WIGs that are in my future.  I look forward to the points on this lifetime road map with excitement, hope and joyful anticipation.