Not quite as elegant as most will be, but my contribution is....

"Sh*t in one hand and wish in the other and see which fills up first"!

When I was a kid and would say I wish this or that would happen, my dad would always lay that line on me. As I kid I thought it was stupid as hell but what he was trying to tell me is that anything worth having, I will have to work for it and not just wish for it. The wishing is fine, but seldom does much without the work.