Why is the act of "wishing" such a powerful force?

I remember as a kid, I wished a whole lot. I used to flip through the service merchandise catalog, which was 500 pages, and pick out something I wished to have on every single page. I was brought up in a family that had little extra money. I used to look at the girls with nice clothes and think horrible things about them just because they had what I didn't. As an adult, my wishing has not lessened. Seems like I'm never satisfied. Meaning, I'll sleep all day or I'll sink into depression if I don't get what I want. People say I'm self-centered or immature. If I didn't live with my parents, I'd be impoverished. I'm a microwave person, I want everything fast and easy. In my twenties, I tried to be resourceful and I lived happily within my means but I was also an alcoholic. I'm sober now but my vice has switched to gambling. They say money is the root of all kinds of evil. Maybe the lack of money only feeds the wishing well. I've never made over 12,000 a year in any occupation. I'm 43. People with wealth take things for granted but so do poor people. Look at the people in Africa who don't have running water, I would bet that they wish a hundred times more than I ever did. So maybe wishing comes naturally to us.