How To Get What You Want In Life: 7 Lessons From Elisha And The Widow’s Oil9 min read

You may already know what you want in life: It may be financial freedom, a loving partner, or even a large social media following. While it is okay to dream big and make a wish list, the question is, “Do you know HOW to get what you want out of life?”.

The Miracle of The Multiplication of Oil:

In the story, a certain Widow went to a prophet (called Elisha) asking for help. Her husband – who she explained was a God-fearing man – was dead, and the people he owed money were going to take their sons as slaves.

The prophet looked at her, and having compassion on her, asked her what she had.

She replied that she had only a small jar filled with olive oil.

The prophet then instructed her to go borrow empty jars. She had no clue what the jars were for, but still went about borrowing vessels from her neighbours. And, after a while, she returned to the prophet and informed him that she had borrowed all that she could find. 

The prophet then instructed her to pour the oil from the small jar into the borrowed jars.

She (probably looked at the prophet with confusion) followed his instructions and began pouring. Then, to her surprise, the oil in the little jar filled the first much larger jar, then the second, and then another till she ran out of empty jars. 

Then the oil stopped.

…

Now, my concern isn’t about the practicality of this. I don’t care if the story was real, or if it makes any logical sense. Miracles shouldn’t even make any sense.

My concern is in the steps the widow took, and the condition/constraints attached to the miracle. 

What Can We Learn From The Story of Elisha and The Widow’s Oil

The big lesson from the story of Elisha and the Widow’s Oil is: No matter how badly you wish or pray for something, you must prepare for it to get it – you must have sufficient vessels/capacity to hold it. Your miracle is proportional to your level of readiness

A lot of people want good things to happen to them, yet they aren’t prepared for it.

A few years ago I had all my bank accounts frozen because they weren’t capable of handling the amount that got into them. 

There is something known as capacity. And capacity determines limits 

How many jars did the window bring? 

I don’t know. 

But I know the quantity of oil she got was tethered to how much the jars could hold.

This too has been the case for me.

I saw an upsurge in the quantity and quality of relationships I got in direct relation to how much I developed myself – emotionally, intellectually, etcetera. 

My earnings have also increased as I worked on my skill and network. 

There has been nothing that came to me that I wasn’t ready for

And everything I wasn’t ready for I missed.

Yes, I have been friend zoned before.

I have been laid off before.

I have lost before.

And 

I will still get rejected and Kicked out (or ignored) several times more.

Why?

because of my level of preparation.

We always lose what we are not yet ready for.

Many people want a million followers, but they have nothing reasonable for the million followers. 

Many people wish they were millionaires, but they have nothing to trade for that – no skill, service, or product to offer.

But, even more disheartening, many people are not ready for big opportunities: If today you got a shout-out from a big celebrity or a big brand will your dreams come through – can you capitalise on and cash out from that? 

Do you have a product, or service that can make you that money?

Are you sure you are ready to be a wife or husband?

Are you sure you are ready to be a public figure?

Do you have your vessels ready?

Are you sure?

7 Steps To Get What You Want Out of Life:

Getting what you want out of life is not something that happens miraculously overnight. It takes a lot of deliberate actions and time. Below are a few major things you can start doing to get what you want.

Be clear on what you want: 

The widow was clear on what she wanted: to pay off her debts and keep her sons from being taken away as slaves. Many people often say they want happiness, but what exactly will make them happy is what they miss. You have to be clear on what you want, how you want it, and when you want it. That clarity will help you stay focused and motivated.

Find people who have or can get you what you want: 

The widow found Elisha, a wise and powerful prophet who was well-known for helping people. This is important because most time, most people don’t seek out those who can help them, or they seek help from the wrong people. If you want money, it is best to seek advice from someone who already has it. If you want relationship advice, then seek people who are already in happy relationships. Don’t go listening to random advice from people who aren’t even qualified to talk about the topic.

Ask for what you want: 

The widow was not ashamed or afraid to ask for help. She went on to state the reasons why she thinks she deserved the help. If you want something, you have to train your mind to believe you deserve it – either because of what you have done or what you will do with the help. But, this doesn’t mean you have to be entitled. No. It simply means you have to be bold, and make sure you are not asking for frivolous things. 

Listen to the advice from trusted people: 

The widow trusted the wisdom and directions of Elisha. She didn’t start arguing with him over what she had no clue about. Most people let their egos get in the way of what they want. When you want something, you have to be humble and pay close attention to what is being instructed. For example, when you buy a course or read a book, you have to take the lessons seriously else you won’t understand or gain much from it. There’s a difference between being a critical thinker and being heedless.

Take risks: 

The widow took a risk by following Elisha’s instructions (to borrow other vessels and empty her jar of olive oil), even though she didn’t know what would happen. The truth is that you have to sacrifice for what you want, and some of those sacrifices would be very risky. It could be as simple as talking to someone you admire despite the risk of being rejected and embarrassed, or as serious as the risk of taking a loan to start a new venture.

Work hard: 

The widow worked hard to get what she wanted, by going in search of the vessels and then pouring the oil into each and all of the vessels. The widow didn’t just sit back and wait for her oil to multiply because she had a prophet by her side. She worked hard to follow Elisha’s instructions, and this is what helped her to achieve her goals. It is not enough to read a good book, you must be willing and ready to implement what you’ve learned. You must do it diligently and consistently until all the vessels are filled.

Collaborate with other people:

The widow also collaborated with her sons to collect and fill the empty jars. On her own, she may not have been able to get many jars, or even fill them all once they were available. It is good to dream big, but without collaborating with others, things can become very difficult or impossible. The widow didn’t try to do everything on her own, and neither should you.

Conclusion: Have faith that the dots will somehow connect

I’m a big fan of the quote, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm” by Winston Churchill. Often in life, I’ve found myself maintaining excitement despite setbacks or not seeing much results.

For example, when I started this blog about 5 years ago, I was very excited about how much money and fame I was going to gain. But, for the first 3 years, I was obscure, and losing money. I was failing. But, I kept my enthusiasm.

And, today, even though I haven’t particularly succeeded on this blog, I have been able to see a lot more results. And, I attribute a lot of that success to implementing the lessons we discussed above. I had to be clear on what I wanted, seek advice from successful writers (even though I had to pay), invest money into website hosting, sacrifice time and energy into writing on the blog, ask for help from friends, and so much more.

When you have a vision or dream, it may not be clear how you will achieve it, but you have to work hard while trusting that the dots will somehow connect in the future. That is how you get what you want out of life.

Other resources that might be of help to you:

• Askophobia: 5 Tips To Overcome Your Fear of Asking For What You Want
• Why Is It Important To Not Give Up On Yourself – [5 Inspiring Reasons]
• What Do You Truly Deserve? [And How To Get It]
• The Importance of Breaks in Achieving Long-Term Success and Happiness:
• Persistence: 11 Strategies for staying motivated and persistent in the face of challenges and setbacks
• The Value of Personal Faith (And How To Develop It):