“You can achieve anything when you put your mind to it!” How many times have we heard this cliché phrase? A ton I bet. What if I told you that the meaning of this phrase is actually a lot more meaningful than most people understand. The truth really is you can achieve anything you put your mind to, but through certain mechanisms of the mind. The most important mechanism is desire followed by belief and faith. Desire is something we all as humans have experience. Desire ranges from desiring an ice cream cone all the way to your biggest dreams. Although most people will stop after they’ve achieved small desires such as getting that ice cream cone they’re craving, there is so much more potential that remains largely untapped in most people when it comes to desire. This is a sad reality and many people miss out on using this great power their whole lives.
Setting the framework for your desires
Desires will remain out of reach and unachievable without sincere belief or faith. Don’t be the person who waits for “the right time” to chase your desires. That is a one way street to mediocrity and a waste of this gift. The best way to grow desire into belief followed by action is to start with daily affirmations, and then nail down a plan on how you will achieve those desires. As flawed as any initial plan may be, you need to start somewhere concrete and that is what a plan will allow you to do. A desire means nothing without a clear path from start to finish.
Let’s start with affirmations and why they matter as much as they do. Simply put, affirmations are the reinforcement of desire until belief is culminated. If you repeat your desires to yourself daily and how you will achieve them, the brain begins to believe what is being said. This belief can then be used and translated into meaningful action. I use a notebook of affirmations that I’ve written down and recite them every morning to develop my desires into beliefs and then eventually reality. These affirmations include definite figures and definite avenues of attack because if we’re not being concrete and absolute, there is no real expectation being set. For example, my goal for 2022 in terms of personal wealth is to own $10,000,000 of real estate through Upstate New York student housing and Florida AirBNBs by the end of 2022 using creative financing strategies. See how I have a definite number, a definite timeline, and a definite way of reaching my goal? Without deadlines, your desires will remain just that, desires. Without a plan, your desire will remain a desire. Without exact figures, your desire will remain a desire. Without definite purpose, your desire will remain a desire.
Writing out a plan of how you will achieve your desires is extremely significant because it allows you to map a comprehensible path to reach those desires. A lack of planning correlates with a lack of direction. Without direction, achieving anything concrete becomes impossible. Structure, deadlines, and expectations allow you to achieve your desires. As simple as it may seem, it is difficult and requires a commitment from you to be the best version of yourself.
Why belief and faith matter
Without belief and faith, we would lack the necessary components to achieve anything worthwhile. One of the most important characteristics for success is persistence which is derived from faith and belief. This characteristic allows you to push forward through adversity which will undoubtedly be faced when doing something difficult. Belief and faith also allow us to avoid negative states of emotion such as fear. When we feel fear, we tend to procrastinate and provide alibis for ourselves to justify that procrastination. This emotion is powerful and extremely present in most people. In order to rid yourself of fear, you must commit to the outline laid out for you in this post. Desire, faith, and sincere belief together will help you overpower fear and become a force to be reckoned with in whatever you choose. Fear is the killer of desire, and without a strong base of principles such as definite plans, timelines, methods, true belief, and faith, fear will remain prominent and cast its wrath over any semblance of desire you may have. Understand the power you have within you to be the best version of yourself. You are in possession of the key to unlock the gates of your fullest potential. It is up to you whether you will ever use the key or not. What will you choose?
Read more about the power of desire in the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It is packed with insight on how to reap the rewards of desire and manifest anything you wish to achieve into reality.