In Think and Grow Rich
, Napoleon Hill concludes that nothing happens until someone has a “burning desire” to make it happen.
There has to be a decision and a commitment to make it happen—a mission to see it through.
When I talk to a prospective client for my individual coaching work, I’m looking for someone who has made the choice to change something in his or her business—or life—and wants help to make the change. The fact that someone may be asking me to work with him or her, and waving money in front of me, just isn’t enough. Most people want changes in their lives, but they’re not all choosing to make those changes. Many will even choose to appear to be doing the things they need to do so that they can say they tried, but couldn’t make it happen.
“I tried self-help books, seminars, and training programs—even personal coaching,” they can proclaim, “but nothing worked.”
They might really want the change, but they haven’t chosen to do whatever it takes to bring it to fruition. They haven’t lit their desire on fire and made it a goal, no holds barred.
In a recent article, I discussed an imaginary cash-prize as an impetus for turning desire into choice. I recently posed this same scenario to a group of financial advisors who were struggling to grow their businesses:
“Imagine I actually have a check for $10 million in my briefcase and the money to back it up, and that I made an earnest offer to sign it over to the first one of you who doubles your income this year. How many of you would take me up on my challenge?”
Most of the professionals in the room jumped at the hypothetical opportunity.
“What would you do that you’re not already doing?” I asked them.
There was a flurry of immediate, bold responses. “I’d call everyone I know,” one shouted. “I’d make hundreds of calls,” blurted another. “I’d get really serious about asking EVERYONE for referrals,” offered a third.
“Yet,” I responded, “If I took that $10 million out of the equation, none of you would do these things simply to double your income?”
All eyes searched the floor for a response. With $10 million on the table, all of these advisors would be on a mission to reach out to as many people as they could in order to improve their businesses. But once I removed the big prize from the picture, there was no more mission.
Among the many things you want in your business or life, is there something you want to accomplish that you can also choose to accomplish right now? Make it a mission to make it happen, and you’ll find a way around your fears, your lack of knowledge, and the time-management issues you believe are keeping you from succeeding. All of these obstacles tend to disappear when you have a burning desire to meet the terms of a challenge.
So challenge yourself! Or, if you don’t truly have a burning desire to choose to make changes you might want, choose to relax and enjoy where you are. Human beings tend to be goal-seeking creatures, but if there’s no big goal you currently want to commit to pursue, don’t keep feeling guilty about it.
If you do have a big goal that you’d like to pursue and simply need help constructing your mission, contact me and we’ll talk.
If you’re already on a mission, just keep REACHING…
