I Made a Wish at 11:11—and Everything Changed

Mansi Agarwal
Jul 25, 2025
6 min read

Back then, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted.

I wanted good grades.

I wanted to start my own business before 25.

I wanted to improve my chess game, take up painting again, maybe even learn how to cook properly.

My ambition board was full. Overflowing, even.

I had goals for every corner of my life—academic, professional, creative, personal. I was chasing “potential” like it was a race. I thought that if I just kept going, kept improving, kept adding more to the list, I’d eventually hit some magical point where I felt accomplished… and finally happy.

a woman working seriously in her office.

But here’s what I didn’t realize:

I was drowning in my own expectations.I had unknowingly signed up for a version of hustle culture that didn’t feel like pressure because it was self-inflicted.

No one told me to do all of it. I wanted it. I chose it. But I never stopped to ask whether I was ready for it. Whether it was healthy. Whether I even

enjoyed the things I was doing anymore… or if I was just ticking boxes to prove I could.

You Think You Know What You Want… Until You Wish

And then came that moment— It was a random Tuesday.

Nothing dramatic. No big signs. Just me, slouched on a plastic chair in the back row of an economics lecture I had zero interest in. I was tired, distracted, scrolling through my phone under the table, pretending to take notes.

And then it happened.I glanced at my phone: 11:11.

I don’t know why I paused. Usually, I didn’t. But that day, I did.

And then, like a reflex, I made a wish.

“I want to feel alive and happy again.”

That was it. No grand career ambitions. No manifesting soulmates. Just a sentence that spilled out before I could stop it.

And looking back now—that moment cracked something open in me. Not in a loud, life-changing way. But in a quiet, undeniable way. Like my heart had finally said something out loud… and I couldn’t un-hear it.

I wasn’t wishing for success or discipline or ambition or creativity.

I wasn’t asking for more hours in the day or better focus.

I was asking for something I hadn’t even allowed myself to want: A break. Some lightness. A little fun. Freedom from this pressure I had wrapped around my own chest.

And that was a truth I hadn’t been brave enough to face until that moment.

The Ritual That Found Me

You know how most habits are built with intention? You plan it, schedule it, track it? This wasn’t like that. This was… accidental magic. A rhythm that gently wove itself into my days. A secret checkpoint.

No matter what kind of day I was having—whether I was buried in deadlines or spiraling into overthinking—when that time blinked back at me on my screen, I paused.

And I’d ask the question I never thought to ask otherwise:

“What do I want right now?”

It sounds simple. But you’d be surprised how often we forget to ask.

I once wished for courage. Another time, for peace. Sometimes I wished to let go of something. Sometimes I wished for the strength to hold on.

And over time, I began to notice something fascinating: my wishes revealed the things I wasn’t even admitting to myself. They stripped away the noise.

In a world that constantly demands you to know what you're doing—to have five-year plans, goals, a “vision board” life—this one minute of unscripted honesty became my anchor.

It wasn’t about “making a wish.” It was about listening to my own truth.

Wishes Bring Clarity

Clarity doesn’t always strike like lightning. More often, it arrives like a whisper—soft but certain. And for me, those whispers often come at 11:11.

There’s something powerful about being asked to distill all your noise, all your desires, all your overthinking… into just one simple wish. In that moment, you’re not trying to impress anyone. You’re not making a list.You’re just telling the truth—to yourself.

And that truth? It’s liberating.

Because suddenly, things start making sense.You realise:

Maybe you don’t actually want more money—you want more freedom.

Maybe you don’t need a whole new career—you just want to feel seen.

Maybe you’re not addicted to being busy—you’re just craving joy.

That kind of clarity lights you up. It’s like finally being able to name something you’ve felt for so long but didn’t have the words for. And once you know what you truly want, you begin to understand yourself better.

You stop second-guessing so much. You stop chasing what isn’t meant for you. You start making decisions that actually fit.

It’s not about having your whole life figured out. It’s about having just enough clarity to take the next honest step. And sometimes, that begins with something as small—and as sacred—as a single wish.

Wishes Are Tiny Prayers (But They Require Work)

Let me be clear: I don’t believe that just because I wished at 11:11, the universe owes me a miracle.

It’s not a magic ATM.

To me, a wish is more like a whisper to the divine. A prayer. It says:

“This is what I desire. Now give me the strength to make it happen.”

You wish. Then you do.

You pray. Then you plan.

Wishing gives me direction—but I still have to walk the path.

If I wish for peace, I have to stop feeding chaos. If I wish for love, I have to open my heart. If I wish for growth, I have to stop clinging to comfort.

The wish is not the finish line. It’s the flashlight.

When I Started Living By My Wishes

I began keeping a journal of my 11:11 wishes.Some of them were scribbled in the margins of notebooks. Others typed out hurriedly between meetings.

What emerged was a timeline of my soul’s evolution.

a cartoon girl enjoying painting on a canvas using colourful colors

There were seasons where every wish was about letting go—of people, patterns, pressure.Then came seasons of asking for more—of joy, creativity, connection.

And slowly, I noticed something: my life started reflecting those wishes. Not magically. Not overnight. But because I knew what I wanted. And when you know, you begin to move differently.

You stop saying yes out of guilt. You stop chasing what’s not meant for you. You stop sleepwalking. You begin choosing.

I remember once wishing, “I want more joy in my day.”

At first, it felt vague. Too broad. But it kept showing up.

So I started doing one small thing each day just because it made me happy—I found an old playlist I used to love, started painting again, wore cute night dresses I always used to love, danced while brushing my teeth, played game of chess online.

Those little things didn’t change the world. But they brought me home to myself—not the hyper-productive, always-achieving version… but the one who once did things simply because they made her smile.

Another wish that surfaced one day hit me like a quiet truth bomb:“I want to stop having to please everyone.”

It was confronting. I hadn’t realized just how much of what I was doing came from a need to be liked, admired, approved. After that, I started saying no to things I didn’t genuinely want to do—even if people expected me to. I stopped performing. I let people be momentarily disappointed. And life felt lighter. More mine. Most of the time, you don’t need to manifest, map it all out, or obsess over how it’ll happen.

Just being aware of the wish is enough.

Because once you name it—even quietly, even just to yourself—it starts to shape the way you think, choose, and move.

And without even realizing it…you begin becoming the version of yourself you once quietly wished for.

Why 11:11? Why Not Any Other Time?

People often ask: Why 11:11? Isn’t that just superstition?

Maybe. Maybe not.

But here’s what I know- we need rituals. Tiny sacred pauses. Moments that interrupt the scroll, the stress, the spiral. And 11:11 does that for me.

It doesn’t matter if it’s "scientifically special." What matters is that it means something to me. It’s my cue to come back home to myself.

You Can Make Your Own Magic

You don’t have to wait for 11:11.

Maybe your moment comes when sunlight hits your desk just right. Or when you slip into bed and the world finally quiets down. Maybe it’s when you close your laptop. Or stir your tea. Or every time you catch yourself holding your breath and decide—just for a second—to exhale and check in.

Whatever it is, let it be your cue. The point isn’t the clock. It’s the intention.

Find a moment in your day where you pause. Ask yourself, What do I want right now? Let that answer surprise you. Let it scare you. Let it guide you.