A king who knows the limits of his desires will rule a lifetime

I came across this phrase a few months ago, and I found it intriguing.

It holds multiple meanings.

“A king who limits his desires will rule forever” can be interpreted as: Don’t be greedy.

It can also mean: desire once, then let go.

Here’s my take on that second meaning.

Lately, I’ve been wondering why I’m not getting the response I want for a project I’ve been working on.

I’ve been manifesting the hell out of it – and still, not even a weird, out-of-the-blue message has popped into my inbox.

It could have been anything—even a rejection. I would’ve been glad someone took the time to reply.

But nope. Days passed, and it became harder to keep up with my usual “chill mechanism,” the one I lean on when it comes to my career.

My partner noticed how distant I’d become – how I was quietly slipping into the danger zone – and gently reminded me that everything was going to be okay. That I would find what I was looking for.

“How?” I asked, eyes soft. “What if it doesn’t work out?”

“It will,” he said. “You just need to stop asking for it and let go. Just let go. Go chill. Read something. Let’s take a walk.”

The universe has a strange sense of timing. It tends to open doors when you shift your focus from what’s missing to what you already have. When you start appreciating the present moment instead of obsessing over the outcome, something changes.

Try this for a week: don’t let any negative thoughts enter your mind about the thing you want to fix.

The next day, I took his advice. I opened up to gratitude, playfulness, and more time spent writing.

As I wrote, I realized how genuinely happy it made me feel. How fulfilled I was leaving my desk, knowing I had poured a valuable part of my mind onto the page.

So, what’s the moral of the story?

Two things.

First – yes, you need to state your desire. But no, you don’t need to track it obsessively.

Second – without even realizing it, I’d already received an answer that could take me somewhere new, at least mentally. I had been invited to be a copywriter for an authoritative website.

But I didn’t see it as a success. In my head, I was still waiting for the big result, without realizing that to get there, I might need to climb a few ladders first.

And that invitation? That was my first ladder.

What was yours?