How many times have you really wanted something only to be told that wanting it is selfish or unrealistic? Have there been times when you’ve dreamed of grandness, only to be reminded that the, "meek shall inherit the Earth"?

These limiting reminders, while well-intended, block and deny the very essence of one of God’s greatest gifts to you — your ability to create what you desire.

And, really, if you think about it, this seems pretty logical. Why would God gift us with the quality to desire without also gifting us with the ability to have what we desire?

At the same time, we must understand that we get into problems with desire when we don’t comprehend it or don’t understand how to use it. We may want the wrong things, or we are out of touch with what it is that we really long for.

In order to desire properly, we have to understand the power of desire. According to Paul Buser, "Desire, like the atom, is explosive with creative force." Buser doesn’t just mean that having a desire makes you creative. He’s saying that a desire, like a belief, has a creative force all its own. Not only does the desire compel and propel you to do things that will bring fruition, it has its own personal influence on matter. The energy of the desire itself works outside yourself to manifest itself in the physical world. That’s how powerful a desire is.

From one perspective, this is pretty fabulous. Just think of the desires you’d like to see show up in your life!

There is another side, however. What happens when you desire conflicting things? What happens when you want things meant only to protect you from others?

What takes place is that these conflicting and protective desires actually manifest into exactly what you don’t want. For example, by wanting someone who has been cheating you to get what they deserve, you actually can create the energy of revenge. Now, is this what you really want or is it simply to be treated fairly?

So ask yourself — revenge or fairness? Desiring vengeance doesn’t solve the problem; it just creates a punishment. Desiring fairness, on the other hand, creates the scenario of being treated truthfully and equitably as well as creating a feeling of safety, while revenge does not. Fairness requires unlimited thinking, — revenge assumes fairness is impossible to attain.

Remember, conflicting and protective desires usually result from limited thinking. "We trifle (squander) when we assign limits to our desires," wrote Christian Bovee, "since nature hath set none." What does that mean? Basically, we waste a great opportunity each time we create a desire based on limited thinking.

What, then, can each of us do to make the most of our desires? The answer lies in asking ourselves "What do I really want to happen, if anything in the whole world were possible?" That question helps us really look at what we yearn for. Another important key here is that we must be responsible for the outcome of our desires.

When our intentions are clear, we can then create a future that supports us. With this in mind, consider this are your desires creating loving, supporting and healing situations or is your intent bringing conflict into your life.

Practice asking yourself what it is you really want. See how much your desires are compatible with another person’s goals. When people get their needs met, they usually find joy and peace as a reward. What do you want and need? Desire it for yourself. And lastly, "Plant the seed of desire in your mind," as Robert Collier wrote, and it will form "a nucleus with power to attract to itself everything needed for its fulfillment."