The Rules to Break, 2nd Edition

RULE TO BREAK

“I want doesn’t get”

Now there’s an expression I heard a lot as a child, and I still hear other parents using it when I’m out and about. I have never understood it, even when I was young. You tell your parents what you want and they say ‘I want doesn’t get’, and they don’t give it to you. So next time you want something you carefully avoid mentioning the fact, and they don’t give it to you. As far as I could see as a child, nothing got you what you wanted.

Well, maybe as a kid you’re in a lose/lose situation. As an adult, however, ‘I want’ is the only thing that does get you anywhere. Regardless of your conditioning as a child, you need to learn to be clear and specific about what you want. If you can’t explain what you want, ...