Have you heard the one where the computer programmer comes home with six cartons of milk. His wife, with a belligerent look on her face , says: "I told you to bring one carton of milk, and if they have apples, bring six." "Exactly," said the husband.
The husband and programmer, in this story followed his wife's instructions in the same way that he would program a computer. A computer carries out instruction one line at a time. If the supermarket didn't have apples, he would have brought home only one milk carton. This addition to the computers instruction is called a "condition."
Some people would argue that the wife implied that the husband should bring home six apples if the store had them in stock. Yes, this was implied, but a computer doesn't respond to implied messages. It responds only to conditions.
The computer assumes nothing, and reads each line of instruction in a literal manner. The programmer must make sure that all instructions are given to the computer in a clear, systematic way, with clear and specific conditions. Any error in step sequence, or in language, causes the computer to just stop and wait for the programmer to get his or her shit together.
Let's pretend for a moment that the computer is success, and our actions are the line of instructions in a program. Instantly, you realise that success responds to each action line and carries out instruction literally. Success cannot respond to implied messages, and will only carry out instructions as it reads each clear and specific line. Success is, however, always open to conditions.
Most people are clear about what they want, but the instructions become less so when we attach conditions. "Bring one carton of milk, but if the shop has apples, bring six." "Find me love, but if he or she is rich, let it last forever." "Let him be the one, and if there is honesty, the only." "Let me be rich, but if it comes easy, it goes easy."
Confusing instruction and conditions brings success to a grinding halt as it patiently and indefinitely waits for us to get our stuff together. Regardless of how modern or speedy your version of success may be, it still only responds to one clear instruction at a time.
Write out your steps to success, and give it to someone to read aloud. Let them "follow" instructions literally, and see how long it takes for the reader to get stuck. Maybe then you will realise it's not so much that you are waiting for your ship to come in, but your ship is waiting for you to sort your stuff and give proper instruction to dock.
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