13 Essentials For Success – #1: Desire

Today we begin a new series of articles called ’13 Essentials For Success’. Today we look at the first of these, ‘Desire’

What is ‘Desire?’

A standard dictionary definition says: ‘a longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment’ e.g. a desire for fame; an expressed wish or request.

So there are 2 parts here – the feeling of desire itself and the end state (satisfaction, enjoyment, happiness) when the object of desire is achieved or obtained.

So if you desire success, you know that when you get success you will experience joy, happiness and satisfaction. If you desire a new hat, you will achieve satisfaction when you get one.

As this is only one of the 13 essentials for success, more details are required.

Such as ‘what kind of desire’ or ‘how much desire’

As to ‘what kind,’ is it ‘dreaming’, ‘hoping’, ‘wishing’? The answer is ‘not quite.’

Early on, these are useful things as a way of framing your desire, but in the longer term they are not intense enough feelings to provoke you into action. Having a ‘would be nice’ attitude will not get you what you want.

But it’s OK to dream! Wishing and hoping are not as useful, but dreaming does stimulate the mind and the emotions, particularly if you can envision yourself having that what you want. This will then ignite the desire that you need.

That kind of desire you need for success is a ‘burning’ desire – but that been said, not a ‘red hot’ desire that will burn fiercely but burn out quickly.

You need the kind of ‘white hot’ desire that smoulders and burns and goes on and on until you get what you want. It’s a desire that can sustain you when things appear to be stagnant, or even going backwards.

One thing is essential with your desires: you must be definite in what it is that you want. You need to know your ‘why.’

In order to do this, there is a 6 step technique to follow. Say you want to make money. Then look at this process below:

1. Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you want. Note, it is not enough to say ‘I want plenty of money’. So, for instance, pick $1 million dollars/pounds (etc).
2. Write out this amount on paper and then state exactly what you will do in return for this money – such as “I will provide services for … (pick your service)” For instance, my service is life coaching. If you have a trade or skill – pick anything that you love to do that involves serving others.
3. Establish a definite date by when you will have this money, for example, December 31st, 2020. Better still, state this in the present tense “It is December 31, 2020 and I have $1 million in my bank account”
4. Create a definite and specific plan of action in which you are going to achieve this. Once done, start immediately! Instant action is required to put things in motion. Any delay will sabotage yourself.
5. Make sure that the above 4 steps are duly documented – the amount of money, services received and time of achievement.
6. Every day like clockwork read this document out aloud to yourself.

You’ll find that this technique will cement your desire for success in whatever you want. Through the process of repetition, the mind is effectively being re-programmed to accept your success as a foregone conclusion.

You will begin to see yourself with the money (or whatever): see it, smell it, feel it etc. And this will spur you onwards to actually achieve it, and it will stoke your white hot fire of desire.