Where Lies The Seed of Achievement? Well its Desire Desires of achieving success in any venture with a state of mind that becomes an obsession will definitely bring in the results
By Vineet Arya
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
In today's world, the success of a person is measured through the riches he has accumulated over a period of time. The first step towards riches is an innate desire to succeed. Quoting Napoleon Hill, a famous American journalist:
"It is not a wish! It is a keen, pulsating desire, which transcends everything else".
A successful person chooses a definite goal, places all his energy, all his will power, all his effort, everything, back of that goal. Every person who succeeds in any venture must be willing to wreck his ships and cut all sources of withdrawing back. Only by doing so can he be sure of maintaining that state of mind known as burning desire to win, essential for success. When the going gets tough and the future looks terrible, successful people pull up their spirits and fuel their desire further to reach up to the point of success. They concentrate on winning rather than on not losing. Many startup founders and CEOs don't take salaries out of their companies for months and even years until the venture break evens and starts yielding profits.
You Need to be Different
Thus a person who wants to achieve something, he cannot simply wish the same. Wishing will not bring achievements. But desires or dreams of achieving success in any venture with a state of mind that becomes an obsession will definitely bring in the results. This further is backed by planning definite ways and means to acquire your objectives and persistence which does not recognize failure. Another important ingredient for this kind of success strategy is to establish a definite date when you intend to possess the success you desire. For such a strategy you need to begin working at once on your plan, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action. Consider the success story of Steve Jobs who hardly needs an introduction. Jobs' creative genius pioneered the transformation of the computer industry and introduced revolutionary products such as iMac.But like most heroes; his journey is not without adversities and downfalls. Every rise and fall was an opportunity for Jobs to turn things around and move the industry towards the path he desired.
Step Ahead
Next, your plan should be written out on paper clearly and concisely highlighting the idea and the extent of its success on the execution of your dream project. Also, you should name the time limit for its implementation. State what you intend to give in return for that success (e.g. your time, your job, your savings etc) and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to achieve it. A key aspect of this kind of strategizing towards your goal is constant reminders. You should re-read your written statements every week and note the feedback besides it. This keeps you focused on your goal and stops you from deviating from your ultimate objective. When you are focused on the right track, success is bound to follow. All successful start-up ventures follow this strategy.
You may complain that it is impossible for you to "see yourself in possession of success "before you actually have it. Here is where the burning desire will come to your aid. If you truly desire success so keenly that your desire is an obsession, you will have no difficulty in executing your written out plan. Only those who become "success conscious" ever accumulate great riches. These steps call for no "hard labour". They call for no sacrifice. Neither do they call for a great education? But the successful application of these steps calls for sufficient vision backed by an intense desire to see oneself successful. Astounding achievement in a career path cannot be left to chance, good fortune and luck. One must act on the desires with dedication and focus. The world today demands new ideas, new leaders, new inventions, and new methods of teaching, new methods of marketing, everything possibly new. At the back of all this demand for new and better things is definiteness of purpose and a burning desire to possess it. In this context, a true rags-to-riches story is that of Dhirubhai Ambani who has been undisputedly India's most enterprising entrepreneur. He never followed the traditional way and was often targeted for his business strategies. A perfect amalgamation of grit and determination, Dhirubhai believed in his dreams and he lived it.
Thus the world is filled with an abundance of opportunity which the dreamers of today know. A burning desire to be and to do is the starting point from which a dreamer takes off. Remember that all those who succeed in life get off to a bad start and pass through many heartbreaking struggles before they finally "arrive."
To conclude in the words of Napoleon Hill, weak desires bring weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.