Desire - The Role it Plays In Our Success
I was gratified by the number of entries and interactions between participants in the Chapter 1 post and can say without hesitation that everyone agreed how important a role thought plays in shaping our lives. Many examples were given that added to the value to that post.
I particularly enjoyed reading how the lessons in Chapter 1 are going to be used to help our online businesses grow and thrive.
Napoleon Hill ended Chapter 1 with the following statement:
Whatever the Mind of Man Can CONCEIVE and BELIEVE it Can ACHIEVE.
This is a great transition to Chapter 2 where the topic is DESIRE!
Burned Bridges
One of the main takeaways is that our desire to achieve one's goal must be so strong that we are willing to "burn bridges" remove any options of going back.
Failure is NOT an option. This doesn't mean we will have no setbacks. In fact, when we embark on our quest towards our main goal, we will experience setbacks. That is to be expected. In Napoleon Hill's lexicon a setback is not a failure. A failure occurs only when we give up on our dreams.
We have a choice to give up or not. As long as we do not give up, we have not failed.
I didn't see it that way before. I assumed that a setback was a failure. And that we need to fail our way to success.
My thinking has now changed. The tasks that we do can fail. That doesn't mean we have failed. When we face a barrier, we must look at alternate ways to overcome the problem that we face at that moment in time.
Wishy Washy Words
How often when we are given an important task to do, or in this case making our goals, we respond by saying,
"I will TRY my best."
Doesn't that create an out? If we try our best and fail, we somehow do not feel responsible, We are only admitting that our best effort was not enough. With an attitude like this we can never achieve our goals.
Once the desire to achieve our main goal is so strong, we must never use the word TRY. Instead, say, "I will DO my best" And never give up until our desire is met.
Achieving Goals
I found it inspiring how Edwin Barnes achieved his goal of becoming a fully fledged business partner of Thomas Edison. When he set out on this quest, there was no trying. Or having an alternative if he failed.
Failure was NO option. Mr. Barnes did succeed and achieved his goal.
He first thought about it. That thought morphed into a burning desire. He figured out the steps he needed to get what he wanted. And there was no going back. The outcome would be win or perish.
The Question We Have To Answer
When we embarked on our affiliate marketing journey I am assuming we all wanted to succeed. How strong is that desire? Is it as strong as Dr. Edwin Barnes? Do we want to succeed no matter what it takes or for how long?
Napoleon Hill provides us a process to make sure we can achieve our goal. It's in the section entitled, Six Ways to Turn Desires into Gold. Let me paraphrase it here.
Six Ways To Turn Desire Into Gold
1) We must know the EXACT amount of money we want. In my mind to figure this out we have to know precisely what we need that money for. Napoleon Hill doesn't mention this. It is up to you to decide if this step is necessary for you.
2) What are we willing to GIVE in return for that money. An exchange is necessary.
3) We have to set a date when we intend to POSSESS that money
4) Create a definite plan and start at once. Even if we are not ready. We must put this plan into action
I thought we were done here. But Napoleon Hill in his wisdom directed us to do the following two things.
5) Write this all down clearly, especially the action steps of the plan.
6) Read this aloud twice daily
He implied that we should not question the logic of these 6 steps. Just do it if we want to get that money we so desire.
It was the method Andrew Carnegie used and shared with Mr. Hill. Interestingly Edison "scrutinized' these six steps and expanded it to be used to accomplish any goal other than accumulating wealth.
The Wisdom Behind These Words
I am going to quote the following two paragraphs verbatim as I think it is the crux of this lesson:
"The steps call for no 'hard labor.' They call for no sacrifice. They do not require one to become ridiculous or credulous. To apply them calls for no great amount of education. But 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, right here, that you can never have riches in great quantities unless you can work yourself into a white heat of desire for money, and actually believe you will possess it."
The words in the next section, "The Power Of Great Dreams" is very important too. But I will leave you to read that.
The Universe Gives You What You Ask For
Another lesson I learned in this chapter is you get what you ask for. If you ask to earn a penny, that is all you will earn, metaphorically speaking of course.
The main point being we got to have BIG dreams. Since we have to put forth effort, it may take only a little more to achieve a BIG dream as a SMALL one.
In affiliate marketing I liken this to scaling up our business. Once we have something that works, the effort to double the outcome is not also double. It may be only a little more.
If that is the case, why not aim HIGH?
Some of us may feel that aiming to accumulate a lot of wealth is considered at best wishful thinking and at worse, being greedy. Not so according to Think and Grow Rich. Thinking that way could hold us back.
But money doesn't have to be our only desire. The story of Blair exemplifies an alternative desire.
The Story Of Blair
Napoleon Hill had a son called Blair who was born with no ears. He couldn't hear.
Most parents would have accepted that and prepared their kid to compensate for that by learning sign language and lip-reading.
Not Napoleon. He told his son that he will find a way for him to hear naturally. Instead of enrolling Blair into special needs schools he put him into regular school no matter how hard the challenge was.
This story is about how Blair eventually learned to hear without using his deaf ears. I am not going to summarize this story as I feel this is best enjoyed through the words of Napoleon Hill in his book.
This is the quintessential example of having a burning desire to achieve a goal, coming up with a plan, never giving up, nor stopping until that goal was realized. And this had nothing to do with money.
It proves an important point that Think and Grow Rich can also be used to achieve goals other than money. And that should resonate with a lot of people.
Assignment for Chapter 2
Review the 6 Steps in Chapter 2 and follow what it tells you to do. Please share Step 5 with the group if you so wish.
It would be great to know if you have started to read what you wrote in Step 5 twice a day and how did that feel.
Read what others have contributed and comment if you wish.
I wish you much success in your affiliate marketing journey.
Edwin
Links to this and previous Chapter Posts are provided in the original post:
Think and Grow Rich Couls Be Worth A Million Dollars To You!
Recent Comments
64
For me, Chapter 2 of TAGR was the most profound - EVERY time I read the book.
The quote: "Anything the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve." is my mantra.
We are from VERY humble beginnings.
My mother sailed to England to study nursing and left me with my grandmother at the age of one year.
Granny could not read or write.
She was an East Indian Trader and sold produce in the Central Market.
When I was old enough I would accompany her and help her sell and count the day's earnings.
Perhaps that is where I developed an affinity for maths. Often times we slept in an old Bedford van on the side of a street to ensure that we kept our selling spot.
As a child, I would dream about the kind of life I would create for myself.
One of abundance and enough to share with those in need.
I achieved that, rising to occupy one of the highest professional seats in my country.
I gave it up because I stood up to a corrupt Government and paid a very high price.
Today, I am rebuilding my financial foundation on a very clean slate and for different reasons and measuring it in US dollars.
ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 2021, I WILL ACQUIRE ONE MILLION US DOLLARS.
IN RETURN FOR THE MONEY, I WILL GIVE MY TIME TO LEARNING AND BUILDING MY DIGITAL ENTERPRISE, ENSURING THAT I CAN WORK FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, AS I CONTINUE TO TRAVEL.
I INTEND TO ACHIEVE THIS BY HELPING OTHERS BECOME MOTIVATED AND INSPIRED TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES.
WEALTHY AFFILIATE WILL BE MY SPRINGBOARD AS I BUILD MY COMMUNICATION CHANNELS THROUGH MY WEBSITES, BLOGS AND MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKING.
I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT I CAN INSPIRE OTHERS AND HELP THEM ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS AS I CONTINUE TO DO.
Cassi
Hello Cassi,
I love your boldness. Fortune favors the bold!
The Bedford van is significant to me. When we emigrated to England from India, we took our first drive from London to Coventry to visit some long standing friends. My older cousin rented a Bedford van. That was so exciting being driven on a Motorway the M1 for the first time.
Your mother was quite an entrepreneur, despite not knowing how to read and write. Looks like she was your first business mentor.
Congrats in your career advancement. And especially for taking that bold move to step away from it in order to be true to your ideals. Now many would do that. With a conviction so strong I have no doubt you will achieve your goals.
I hope you wrote down your affirmation and placed it in a location you can read it easily. And recite loud with passion and passion twice a day.
Thanks for sharing your thought in this lesson. I have already posted Chapters 3 and 4. Just in case you need to keep the original post for reference here is the link: Think & Grow Rich - Could Be Worth A Million Dollars To You! I am adding the link to each week as I make the new blog post. Hence with this post you will have easy access to all the 15 Chapters as it evolves. I sincerely appreciate your involvement.
All the best to you.
Edwin
Edwin, thank you!
I truly admire your initiative and role in implementing this project.
It is helping me immensely.
To know that you are also investing all this time to read and respond to us is nothing short of phenomenal!
You are an admirable individual.
Cassi
Hi Cassi,
With all that you have achieved in your life - educational and personally- and the fact that you stand by your ideals and personal morals, you surely will achieve the financial goal that you have set for yourself.
Wishing you the very best!
Kind regards,
Nichola
Thank you, Nichola.
Your feedback and confidence in me mean a lot.
Much success to you also.
Cassi
Thanks for this wonderful post, Edwin. I apologize for my late response.
So, what I took from reading Chapter 2 of Think and Grow Rich is that not only did Edwin Barnes have a definite desire, he had a burning desire to transmit his achievements into riches.
When I look through notes I have made over past years, more than once I have set goals that have not been achieved. Undoubtedly those goals were unrealistic. Therefore, with this challenge, I want to set goals that I believe can be achieved.
Although I have made notes about my six steps, I'm not absolutely happy with them. I will work on these steps and publish them as soon as I am able.
I value the challenge you have provided Edwin and I want to give it the best I'm able to.
Valerie
Hi Valerie,
I returned to this post and saw your contribution. You're doing good. When you finalize your goals on paper, make sure you read it twice a day. Did you do that before when you said you didn't meet your goals? You can do this.
Edwin
Hi Edwin,
Thanks for your response. With regard to those previous goals, I was involved in MLM. We were trained to set extreme goals. I knew I would never achieve them. We didn't have the training such as you have and are providing for us. Therefore, faith, desire and belief were not part of the process. Saying/affirming daily goals did not happen. Sometime later, on the advice of a mentor, I compiled a page of various affirmations. I said each one daily and did reap benefit from doing so. Somewhere among my files, I should have those affirmations. I would certainly like to refresh them just for the pleasure of doing so. Between the years of 2004 and 2010, I attended various training sessions, seminars etc and certainly learned much. And now I'm enjoying this new challenge.
Thanks again, Edwin.
Valerie.
This chapter really makes you think.
I totally get the need for desire - a "burning desire" to achieve any goal you set.
However, with this desire comes a price, a trade-off and this is what has me thinking and questioning.
This level of desire to achieve a certain goal implies there is NO plan B, or C or any type of safety net.
There is nothing for you to fall back on – you succeed or die.
Not having a safety net, a plan B or anything else to fall back on is scary. Am I willing to burn all bridges in exchange for the burning desire mindset to achieve my goal?
I would like to answer yes however, I also have a strong survival instinct that tells me I should always have a back-up plan...that I need to know where the exits are located...
With assumption that I will find the answer to my question and develop that "burning desire" mindset, I am submitting my answer to Step #5 and I will be reciting it out loud twice a day:
By September 15, 2020 I will easily purchase a top-of-the-line Janome sewing machine and have my own sewing space.
It is my intention that my bank account balance will read $300,000.00 by September 15, 2022 and I will achieve this by creating my own quilting / sewing business that will rival “a well-known and well-established quilting company” near me.
Regarding my website, I will continue to develop a clear understanding of who my audience is and have an open mind and willingness to gauge the consumer climate and be willing to make adjustments as needed to provide the services and products my audience wants and needs.
To achieve my financial and business goals I will also do the following:
1) network and establish business relationships with fellow quilters.
2) learning everything I can about quilting techniques.
3) develop expert quilting skills and become known as one of the experts.
4) learn to design my own fabric line and market it.
5) create a professional photo booth for product photos and for creation of YouTube videos to be used on my website.
6) publish at least one article per week (with a goal to increase to 2 per week) to result in an increase in traffic to my website to a minimum of 1,500 visitors per week.
7) develop online courses as well author books on new techniques, patterns and fabrics.
8) provide high quality information in an atmosphere of joy and positivity.
Susan
Wow Susan,
I love the thought you gave to this Chapter. You ha e got the right idea on what you need to do to be successful in your chosen business.
As you progress one of the options I suggest is enlisting others to market your quilts too as in establishing an affiliate program yourself. The timing is important so just keep that in the back of your mind.
I wish you much success in your quilting business. You will do it.
Edwin
Hi,
After reading chapter two, this is what I took from it:
Desire is wanting something so badly, you are willing to work for it, put in all the effort...no matter what until you reached your goal to be a fact.
Believe in yourself, you can do it, even if you have some setbacks, don't give up!
The 4th of January this year I joined WA and one of first things to do was writing your goals down.
After reading this chapter they hang now on my mirror in the bathroom, actually this morning I read them for the first time and later on before going to bed I will read them again.
It felt not weird reading them for the first time, it left me with a smile on my face. Last thing I said to myself before starting my day was 'You will do it!"
Besides the money goals, my 3th goal is: fire my boss by the end of the year and being a full time online marketer.
I wish everyone a Happy Easter,
Luc
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Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
Chapter 2 Desire
This chapter states that desire is the starting point of all achievement and more specifically, it is the first step toward riches.
Furthermore, a burning desire is essential for success. Also, there has to be planning for definite ways and means to acquire riches and then backing your 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, consist of six definite, practical steps.
The following is my step 5 which I will begin to read twice a day:
“I will have a balance of $18,000.00 in my savings account by December 1st, 2020! I will give my time and effort and 10% of my monthly income until December 1st, 2020 in return for my $18,000.00.
I will use my time to write content for my MMO niche website so that I make my website an authority. Therefore, I will create 3 blog posts a week implementing keyword research, SEO and Site Comments so that I create content that is valuable, that gets indexed and ranked in the search engines so that I get traffic to my website which results in sales for my business.
More importantly, I will market my website as well as my blog posts by means of Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, IBOtoolbox, the Money Line and paid advertising, so that I can reach my financial goal of $18,000.00 by December 1st, 2020."
Nichola