Why you need an all-consuming desire
In one of my favorite books, Think and Grow Rich, there’s a story of a man who had an all-consuming obsession - a burning desire.
His desire was to be the associate of Thomas Edison - to work with him and to help him carry out his mission.
Early on in this man’s life, when he began to develop this all-consuming obsession, if you were to look at him, you would have viewed him as just any ordinary person.
As Napoleon Hill wrote, "He resembled a tramp, but his thoughts were those of a king."
Here’s the thing… wanting and wishing will never lead to achievement.
You can want and wish all you want, but unless you have a keen, pulsating desire which transcends everything else, your want or your wish will never come about.
This isn’t pie-in-the-sky thinking; this is simply how the universe works.
I think about my life, and I can tell you for sure that if wanting and wishing could get you anywhere, I would have been a millionaire by the time I was 20 years old.
Instead, I worked as a roofer. I spent day after day thinking about how unfair it was that life had dealt me this hand, and I believed I just had to play the cards I was dealt.
I wanted something different. I hoped for something different. I wished that my life was different.
...But it wasn’t until I learned the process that Napoleon Hill teaches in Think and Grow Rich - a process that I learned from my first mentor, Patrick Hayes - that I began to direct and focus my energy on my desire so that it was stronger than ever before.
...It wasn’t until I had done this, and trained my mind to stay laser-focused on what it was that I desired, that it became a burning obsession for my life. That’s when things really began to shift for me.
You may wish your life was different - you may hope the conditions and circumstances in your life change for the better - but until you develop within you a burning desire, an all-consuming obsession in your life, a "north star" that you can stay focused on, and until you know each step is taking you closer to that destination… until you have that solidified in your mind, you will just be on a wandering path that keeps you busy, but leads you nowhere in particular.
So, how do you develop an all-consuming obsession? Well, it starts with getting clear on what you really want.
Now, when I ask them what they want, most people start listing the things they don’t want…
"I don’t want to be overweight - I don’t want to be in debt - I don’t want to have a bad marriage, etc…"
You‘ve got to stop that thinking. You’ve got to stop that approach, and instead, flip it around.
Instead, ask yourself, "What is it that I actually want?"
You want to be healthy - you want to be financially free, financially stable - you want to feel confident and certain in who you are and in the direction you’re going…
Those are probably all things that you desire, aren’t they?
So, get really clear on that and take some time to build the picture in your mind of what that really looks like.
...What does it feel like? What does it smell like? What are the experiences you would have if this was your life? What are the conversations you would have if this was your life? How would you feel within your emotions and mental state? What would your experience be in your spiritual life and the connection to your source?
If you don’t have a crystal-clear picture of what that looks like and feels like, how you would live that out? I’m just telling you right now, if you’re not certain of exactly what it is that you desire, you’re going to stay stuck.
You’re going to stay stuck in your current circumstances and conditions; you’re going to stay stuck with the things that you don’t want in your life; you’re just going to stay stuck.
And in case you haven’t heard yet… stuck stinks.
So, start today - build that image of what it is that you want in your life. Take the first step.
Even if it’s just a tiny step of 5 minutes today for you to start the process of moving forward in the direction of your dreams… it’s worth it.
His desire was to be the associate of Thomas Edison - to work with him and to help him carry out his mission.
Early on in this man’s life, when he began to develop this all-consuming obsession, if you were to look at him, you would have viewed him as just any ordinary person.
As Napoleon Hill wrote, "He resembled a tramp, but his thoughts were those of a king."
Here’s the thing… wanting and wishing will never lead to achievement.
You can want and wish all you want, but unless you have a keen, pulsating desire which transcends everything else, your want or your wish will never come about.
This isn’t pie-in-the-sky thinking; this is simply how the universe works.
I think about my life, and I can tell you for sure that if wanting and wishing could get you anywhere, I would have been a millionaire by the time I was 20 years old.
Instead, I worked as a roofer. I spent day after day thinking about how unfair it was that life had dealt me this hand, and I believed I just had to play the cards I was dealt.
I wanted something different. I hoped for something different. I wished that my life was different.
...But it wasn’t until I learned the process that Napoleon Hill teaches in Think and Grow Rich - a process that I learned from my first mentor, Patrick Hayes - that I began to direct and focus my energy on my desire so that it was stronger than ever before.
...It wasn’t until I had done this, and trained my mind to stay laser-focused on what it was that I desired, that it became a burning obsession for my life. That’s when things really began to shift for me.
You may wish your life was different - you may hope the conditions and circumstances in your life change for the better - but until you develop within you a burning desire, an all-consuming obsession in your life, a "north star" that you can stay focused on, and until you know each step is taking you closer to that destination… until you have that solidified in your mind, you will just be on a wandering path that keeps you busy, but leads you nowhere in particular.
So, how do you develop an all-consuming obsession? Well, it starts with getting clear on what you really want.
Now, when I ask them what they want, most people start listing the things they don’t want…
"I don’t want to be overweight - I don’t want to be in debt - I don’t want to have a bad marriage, etc…"
You‘ve got to stop that thinking. You’ve got to stop that approach, and instead, flip it around.
Instead, ask yourself, "What is it that I actually want?"
You want to be healthy - you want to be financially free, financially stable - you want to feel confident and certain in who you are and in the direction you’re going…
Those are probably all things that you desire, aren’t they?
So, get really clear on that and take some time to build the picture in your mind of what that really looks like.
...What does it feel like? What does it smell like? What are the experiences you would have if this was your life? What are the conversations you would have if this was your life? How would you feel within your emotions and mental state? What would your experience be in your spiritual life and the connection to your source?
If you don’t have a crystal-clear picture of what that looks like and feels like, how you would live that out? I’m just telling you right now, if you’re not certain of exactly what it is that you desire, you’re going to stay stuck.
You’re going to stay stuck in your current circumstances and conditions; you’re going to stay stuck with the things that you don’t want in your life; you’re just going to stay stuck.
And in case you haven’t heard yet… stuck stinks.
So, start today - build that image of what it is that you want in your life. Take the first step.
Even if it’s just a tiny step of 5 minutes today for you to start the process of moving forward in the direction of your dreams… it’s worth it.