When "Make a Wish!" Becomes Existential...

Building Confidence to Blow Out the Candles

I just celebrated another year around the sun. You know what used to give me extreme anxiety about this every year?

“Make a wish!” 🎂

Yep. That moment right before blowing out birthday candles…I’d freeze up, scrambling to pick the right wish because I felt like I needed one that would really count.

The pressure seems ridiculous, but it felt very real.

This started when I became a young adult, because as a kid, I was perfectly content wishing for an entire bag of Skittles all to myself!

But somewhere along the way, the wishes got heavier and the clarity got murkier.

Eventually I realized that the birthday candle panic was never really about the wish. Instead, it was a moment forcing me to face something deeper…I didn’t actually know what I truly wanted in life.

Without that clarity, even a simple “make a wish” was overwhelming, because every choice felt stressful when I wasn’t sure what I was aiming for.

But this year when the candles were lit, I didn’t freeze…for the first time in a long time, I actually knew what I wanted.

Why?

Because I finally understood myself. Because I could finally articulate what I want…what aligns with me...what feels authentic.

This clarity started by getting to the core of what brings me energy each and every day, and defining the values I need to live by to feel fulfilled.

The wishes I make now are just expressions of my real self.

I feel confident in knowing what I want, because I know who I am.

Why does this matter?

I believe with every fiber of my being that EVERYONE should be able to live with confidence…and you shouldn't have to waste years trying to find it like I did.

That's exactly why I created Drishti Quest—to help others who are in the place I once was, so that we can all find our focus (our "drishti”) toward fulfilling lives.

So if you've ever frozen when someone asks "what do you want?"...I know how you feel, and here's the truth:

You're not indecisive. You're not broken. You just might be missing one piece of clarity that changes everything.