“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”- Napoleon Hill

I have heard many people play lip service to the concept of having a desire. They tell you they desire an education, a better life, a better relationship, a better job, a better salary… and the list goes on. They say they desire, but is it really desire? How do you know that someone truly desires a thing? What differentiates desires from wishes, wants and needs? Is there anything you desire? What are you doing about it?

“The proof of desire is pursuit” – Mike Murdock

The real proof that something is a desire is pursuit. Desire is the starting point of all achievement, and if what you have is truly a desire, you will get yourself compelled to do something about it. Desire transcends wishes, wants or needs. The fact that you wish or want something doesn’t mean you’ll get it, the fact that something is a need doesn’t guarantee it, either. If however you have been able to move your want into a desire, you are on the road that leads inevitably to achievement.

There are long strings of quotes on the reality of desires being guaranteed. If you truly desire you will acquire. Desire is the legal tender for exchange between the seen and the unseen, except you aspire and desire, your achievement will not be entire. Napoleon Hills in his detailed 20yrs study of the secret of success unraveled that when your desires are strong enough you will appear to have superhuman powers. Desire is like drug, once you are high on it, achievement becomes natural. If you are not confident you will achieve it, it’s not yet a desire.
Now, you must be wondering, “if desiring something is so good, how do I get myself into a state where I truly desire what I thought I desired?” How do I convert my wants into desires, burning desires. How do I rank with those who possess superhuman powers. How do I move beyond the 99% perspiration into the 1% inspiration? How do I fire myself to achieve?

As you guessed, it can’t be easy, else many people should have been cultivating burning desires and achieving their goals. Here are however a few things you can do that will guarantee you a burning desire that will ultimately get you what you wanted.

1. Set clear goals – Clear goals stimulate the desire to achieve them. The clearer your goal the more compelling it is. Your goals need to be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. If your goals meet every one of these criteria it will be easy to know when you are on track and when you are not. The fuels the desire to achieve.

2. Surround yourself with high spirited people – The greatest motivator or demotivator you will ever have are the people you surround yourself with. If you surround yourself with negative people, you already have a leak in your tank. If all your friends tell you it can be done, you can do it and they believe in you. Can you imagine how that will feel?

3. Get the pictures – Whatever it is you desire, get a picture of it, and surround yourself with it. Let it be on your desktop, let it be in your room, keep it in your daily journal, place it where you’ll see it. There is something about vision that stimulates desire. I remember Jim Carey’s story, he supposedly wrote himself a big check and carried it around with him, this fueled his desire, and he surpassed it. One of the sure ways of expanding your dream and fueling your desire is to see it regularly.

4. Take action – Talk is cheap, particularly when you are not into public speaking. Don’t just talk about it, take immediate action. Find out what the next physical step to take is, and take it. Motivation follows action! Don’t engage in analysis that paralyzes, do the immediate next step and go on from there. Many people don’t act at all because they want to see it all conclusively before they start.

5. Burn your ships and bridges – Clear out all your alternatives. Close your back doors. Make the consequences of your inaction huge. Set a date for quiting your job. Make a vow to a friend to give him/her something you cherish if you do not act. Your resolve to move forward will remain stifled for as long has you have escape routes. Find the escape routes you have created for yourself and close them one by one. I know of many wannabe entrepreneurs that quit their jobs, only to pick it up again later. The temptation to do this gets real at times, I have been there. To succeed however, everything must depend on it.

6. Read Positive and Developmental information daily – One of the best things you can do to yourself is to change. The key drivers of change are people and new information. Look for articles, books, seminars, audios e.t.c. that cover the areas you are interested in. A wise man once said that seriousness about a topic means haven read as many books as your age about that topic.