Think and grow rich | Day 1
The Power of Burning Desire
Welcome back to Imagine Money, a short daily lesson to help us all think better so we can live better. This week we’re reading Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Today, we are looking at burning desire.
“A burning desire to be and to do is the starting point from which the dreamer must take off,” Napoleon Hill writes. ”Dreams are not born of indifference, laziness, or lack of ambition.”
We all have hopes and dreams, but the desire Hill discusses is a consuming obsession. This burning, pulsating, definite desire surpasses all other thoughts and propels one to action until the desired outcome is a reality.
Hill tells the story of a group of merchants who lost their businesses in the great Chicago fire. As they stood in front of their burned stores, they conferred on whether to rebuild or leave Chicago; all but one decided to leave.
The merchant who decided to stay pointed at the remains of his store and said, “Gentlemen, on that very spot, I will build the world’s greatest store, no matter how many times it may burn down.” The Marshall Field store he built stands there today (Macy’s acquired it in 2005) - a powerful reminder of a burning desire.
Hill discusses the six ways to turn your desire into reality:
Envision the exact amount of money you desire.
Decide what you will give in return.
Select the date by when you will have it.
Create a definite plan and begin taking action.
Write a statement describing the details.
Read it out loud daily, believing in your accomplishment.
Wishing for money is shared among all who understand its usefulness. At one point in our lives, we all have said, ‘I wish I had more money,’ but the concept of a specific monetary desire transcends wishful thinking. It moves us into the field of planning, action, persistence, and a state of mind that refuses to accept anything but the success and money we desire.
The businessman and philanthropist W. Clement Stone said:
“You can develop a burning desire to succeed. How? Keep your mind on the things you want and off the things you don’t want.”
Hill believed that desire is the starting point of all achievement and prosperity. There is excellent research on the power of setting goals for career and finances, and the value of writing your goals down.
Do you have a desire or goals? If not, take a few minutes after this lesson and ask yourself: what do I desire? What do I want my financial reality to be? Take a moment to write a desire or goal statement.
If you have a burning desire, take a moment to decide what you will do for it, create a plan, and begin with one action. Keep your statement on your phone or taped to your bathroom mirror and read it aloud daily. But most of all, believe that it’s possible!
That’s all for today. Until next time, keep imagining what’s possible.
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