DESIRE - Chapter Two Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill
(Desire)
It had been Edwin C. Barnes' (Barnes is a Character in Napoleon Hill’s Self-help book who is an example of success through persistence and determination.) dominating desire for a long time. In the beginning, when the desire first appeared in his mind, it may have probably been only a wish, but it was no mere wish when he appeared before Edison with it.
Barnes succeeded because he chose a definite goal, and placed all his energy, all his willpower and all his effort into achieving that goal. He did not become the partner of Edison the day he arrived. He was content to start in the most menial work, as long as it provided an opportunity to take even one step towards his cherished goal.
Every human being who understands the purpose of money wishes for it. Wishing will not bring riches. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsession, then planning definite ways and means to acquire riches, and backing those plans with persistence which does not recognize failure, will bring riches.
The method by which desire for riches can be transmuted into its financial equivalent consists of six definite, practical steps:
1. Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. It is not sufficient merely to say "I want plenty of money.' Be definite as to the amount. (There is a psychological reason for definiteness which will be described in a subsequent chapter.)
Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire. (There is no such reality as
"something for nothing.") - helping people for good.Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire.
Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.
Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire. Name the time limit for its acquisition. State what you intend to give in return for the money, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.
Read your written statement aloud, twice daily, once just before retiring at night, and once after rising in the morning. AS YOU READ, SEE AND FEEL AND BELIEVE YOURSELF ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF THE MONEY.
Only those who become "money conscious" ever accumulate great riches. Money consciousness means that the mind has become so thoroughly saturated with the desire for money that One can see oneself already in possession of it.
Andrew Carnegie, who began as an ordinary laborer in the steel mills. Despite his humble beginning, Carnegie managed to make these principles yield him a fortune of considerably more than 100 million dollars. the successful application of these six steps does call for sufficient imagination to enable one to see, and to understand, that accumulation of money cannot be left to chance, good fortune and luck. One must realize that all who have accumulated great fortunes first did a certain amount of dreaming, hoping, wishing, desiring and planning before they acquired money.
You may as well know, also, that every great leader, from the dawn of civilization down to the present, was a dreamer.
If you do, not see great riches in your imagination, you will never see them in your bank balance.
In planning to acquire your share of the riches, let no one influence you to scorn the dreamer. To win the big stakes in this ever-changing world, you must catch the spirit of the great pioneers of the past, whose dreams have given to civilization all that it has of value, the spirit which serves as the life-blood of our society—your opportunity, and mine, to develop and market our talents.
If the thing you wish to do is right, and you believe in it, go ahead and do it! Put your dream across, and never mind what "they" say if you meet with temporary defeat, for "they," perhaps, do not know that every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent
success.
Henry Ford, poor and uneducated, dreamed of a horseless carriage. He went to work with what tools he possessed, without waiting for opportunity to favor him, and now evidence of his dream belts the entire earth.
Thomas Edison dreamed of a lamp that could be operated by electricity. Despite more than 10,000 failures, he stood by that dream until he made it a physical reality. Practical dreamers do not quit!
Ray Kroc is another good example of someone who made his dream come true. Kroc was a salesman of milkshake mixers. Most of his customers-restaurants and diners-purchased one or two units. When he received an order for eight mixers from a small food outlet in San Bernardino, California, he decided to visit them and see how they could sell so many shakes. It was the busiest restaurant he had ever seen. The owners the McDonald brothers—offered a very limited menu: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, French fries, shakes and soft drinks —all at the lowest prices in the area.
Kroc saw an opportunity. If he could open a chain of these restaurants, each as productive and profitable as this, money would flow in. He proposed the idea to the McDonald brothers and agreed to implement it.
Within a few years, McDonald's not only became the top-selling food outlet in the country, but created the fast-food industry. Kroc later bought out the McDonald brothers and expanded the business into an international phenomenon, making him one of the richest men of his time.
The world is filled with an abundance of opportunity which the dreamers of the past never knew. A burning desire to be and to do is the starting point from which the dreamer must take off.
Dreams are not born of indifference, laziness or lack of ambition.
The world no longer scoffs at dreamers, nor calls them impractical. Remember, too, that all who succeed in life get off to a bad start, and pass through many heartbreaking struggles before they "arrive." The turning point in the lives of those who succeed usually comes at the moment of some crisis, through Which they are introduced to their "other selves." John Bunyan Wrote The Pilgrim's Progress after he had been confined in prison and sorely punished because of his religious views.
There is a difference between wishing for a thing and being ready to receive it. No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it. The state of mind must be belief, not mere hope or wish. Open-mindedness is essential for belief. Closed minds do not inspire faith, courage or belief.
Remember, no more effort is required to aim high in life, to demand abundance and prosperity, than is required to accept misery and poverty.
Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, attributed her success to the development of self-confidence and faith in herself, she began 25 years earlier when she joined Stanley Home Products. She ofen commented that she was not at all successful during first year and was ready to give up. This changed when she went to her first Stanley sales seminar. She reported: "There I saw pretty woman crowned queen as a reward for being the best in a company comes. l determined to be that queen the following year, which seemed impossible , However, I decided to go up and tall to the president and tell him that I intended to be queen next year.
"Mr. Beveridge didn't laugh at me, but looked me in the eye, held my hand and said: 'Somehow I think you will! Those five words drove me and the next year I was queen."
Mary Kay preached and practiced that the first step in achieving success is to firmly believe that you are an excellent person who deserves success.
IMAGINE YOURSELF SUCCESSFUL. Always picture yourself successful. Visualize the person you desire to become.
Set aside time each day to be alone and undisturbed. Get comfortable and relax. Close your eyes and concentrate on your desires and goals. See yourself in this new environment, capable and self-confident.
REFLECT ON YOUR PAST SUCCESSES. Every success, be it large or small, is proof that you are capable of achieving more successes. Celebrate each success. You can recall it when you begin to lose faith in yourself.
SET DEFINITE GOALS. Have a clear direction of where you want to go. Be aware when you begin to deviate from these goals and take immediate corrective action.
RESPOND POSITIVELY TO LIFE. Develop a positive self-image. Your image, your reactions to life and your decisions are completely within your control.
All this thinking takes place in your own mind, and speak of it to no one.