“All human activity is prompted by desire.” B. Russell. Napoleon Hill in his global bestseller “Think and Grow Rich” written over 75 years ago – said, everything starts with desire. Everything finished, finishes with desire. Every success has as its main ingredient, desire. No, these were not his exact words but if you have ever read this timeless gem you get it – desire matters. Stop for a moment and consider a previous action, plan, goal, purpose, or anything that you started but over time let go, gave up on, or just quit. I will wager that the critical missing ingredient was your continued desire to tolerate; mistakes, failures, too much time, results that were too slow in coming or not what you expected. Now think of something that you want to start or begin but are hesitating – again I’ll bet you are lacking the passion, desire, or purpose and these are waiting for you to start or to get excited about the potential or opportunity that could be around the next corner. I’ve been there as the author of many books, I must admit some of them took a lot longer to write than others. My average time to write a book is 4-6 weeks so why would I still be working on one two years later – DUH! Every major accomplishment, invention, or life-changing action has been grounded in desire.
“Where is the love, beauty, and truth we seek, but in our mind? Shelley. Everything you feel, see, believe, desire, plan, experience, hope for, have faith in, etc. is taking place in that small device that sits between your ears. I’m not talking here about education, gender, age, race, religion, etc. I’m talking here about what you experience in your life exterior whether at the beach, hiking in the mountains, having a beer with friends at the local pub, or watching your favorite sports event or movie. All of what you experience – I REPEAT – All of your experience is driven by what has been stored in your 400 billion-plus brain cells since your birth. The saying is – beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What you see is what you get . . . or your feelings contribute to your actions. I could go on with examples but my point here is simply – If you don’t like anything in your exterior; where you live, where you work, who you are with, what you do regularly, what you see in the mirror etc. – stop blaming, looking outside yourself, or making excuses – it’s time to take seriously what has been stored in your brain since your birth and how it is impacting every area of your life every minute – FYI – this concept is the basic foundation of my latest book – Success & Happiness are an Inside Job.
“The rule is not to talk about money with people who have much more or much less than you do.” Katherine Whitehorn. I love this quote. Ever had a conversation with your spouse, a blind date, one of your kids, a fellow employee about money, finances, spending, saving, or anything to do with money? And if they have had more than you, you most likely had to just keep quiet and let them brag or if you have had more than them you had to keep coming up with excuses why you were uncomfortable with their circumstances. I recall years ago having a first date with a woman who obviously had more money than I did so tried an experiment. I suggested we go to the event in my old car, not hers. Didn’t work. I suggested a cheap restaurant, didn’t work. I am not a judgmental person, but I love watching others discuss their financial circumstances.