Do you have a goal that you would like to fulfill, but somehow fall short of achieving it every time you pursue it?
When I wrote my very well received post If You Do This, Ordinary Actions Will Result In Extraordinary Success, I was recently asked by 
Have you hardly ever completed or even stayed working towards any large goals?
If you blame your goal for being too difficult or the universe for being against you, you are wrong.
The truth is that you, my friend, lack the strong, burning desire to achieve what you want. You aren’t driven enough to pursue and accomplish your goal. Had you been driven enough, you wouldn’t complain about why you don’t have what you want, but would instead be finding ways to move closer towards your goal.
For instance, I know of a woman who aspires to be a motivational speaker and earn around $10,000 a month. She had set this goal for some time now but had fallen short of achieving it every time.
However, when she put her son into a private Academy, she found ways to pay his tuition fee even though it was way out of her range. She was able to do that because she had a true burning desire to have her son study in a good school. Had she nurtured the same passion and burning desire for her previous goal, she would have achieved it in the given time or maybe even less.
The Power of Your Burning Desire
When Arnold Schwarzenegger was asked by an interview the secret behind him becoming a successful Hollywood actor and a professional bodybuilder, he credited it all to his ‘drive.’
He had the burning desire to live in America and become a bodybuilder and for that, he left no stone unturned. He worked out for 6 hours consecutively a day and burned his sweat and blood. Had he lacked that burning desire, he would have only dreamt of becoming the person he is now.
When you nurture an unwavering desire for something, you do not feel temporarily inspired to fulfill a goal. Instead, your desire is what helps you get through every ounce of perspiration you need to sweat to overcome all the monstrous obstacles that come glaring your way. Even if hell breaks loose and you have nowhere to go, your burning desire helps you find a secret tunnel and reach your destination.
Your drive to fulfill a goal does not let you rest at any cost and keeps you on your toes till you have what you truly, genuinely and passionately want.
This is precisely what enabled Edwin C. Barnes to achieve his goal of working as a business associate with Thomas Edison. Barnes was homeless when he approached Edison and Edison might have laughed at Barnes’ desire to work with him, but he nonetheless took him in because he saw in Barnes’ eyes a twinkle that spoke volumes of his burning desire.
It was that desire that did not let Barnes rest and made him take on the challenge of promoting and selling Edison’s dictating machine- an item all of Edison’s promoters and business associated had given up on. Barnes was committed to achieve his goal so he did sell the machine and that was what opened the gateway of success for him.
How to Have a Burning Desire to Achieve Your Goals
If you too want to have that burning desire for your goals so you do not rest till you achieve them, here is what you need to do.
Be Clear on Your Goal First
First and foremost, you need to have complete clarity on your goal. What is it that you genuinely want? Do you want to have financial abundance or do you want to live a simple, happy life? Do you want to carry on with your 9 to 5 marketing job or do you wish to have a business of your own so you do not need to report to anyone and can be your own boss? Unless you are clear on your goal, you cannot pursue it sincerely and consistently.
To have clarity about your goals, you really need to spend time with yourself and get insight into what you truly want. An excellent way to do that is to meditate on your thoughts.
Okay, when I say meditate, I don’t mean you need to light up incense, sit in a lotus pose and chant Omm for hours. You just need to sit in a peaceful room and really think about what you genuinely want from within.
Ask yourself questions like:
- What is it that I desperately yearn from within?
- What would I do if I did not have all the societal pressures on me?
- What is that gives me true happiness?
- What can possibly add meaning and substance into my life?
- In which direction do I want to steer my life into?
Ask yourself such questions one after another and take your time with each one of them. Dig as deep as you can into their answers and take as much time as you want on this step because once you figure out a truly meaningful goal for yourself, you will find it easier to stay motivated for it and achieve it.
Build an Army of Your WHYS
Next, you need to build a strong army of your whys so you stay true to your goal till you accomplish it.
Basically, it means you need to figure out all the reasons why you MUST follow through with your respective goal and cannot live without it. It is these reasons that will help you develop your drive towards your goal and make you pursue it with all your might.
Once again, you need to ponder on why is it you yearn to achieve a certain goal.
Close your eyes and think of your goal. Now imagine yourself achieving it and basking in that glory. If you wish to win gold at swimming in Olympics, imagine that you have achieved that feat.
If you wish to become debt-free and become financially abundant, imagine that you have cleared all your debt and have the abundance you need to live a comfortable life. Keep envisioning that scenario for 15 to 30 minutes and then think of how your life will change once you achieve your goal.
Next, think of your current life and how it is right now without that goal.
What is it that you are missing out on and how does that make you feel about yourself and your life? It is best to write down all this stuff so you keep track of your thoughts and can read all of this when your motivation levels drop low.
Provide Positive Mental Food to Yourself
To keep your burning desire ignited at all times, make sure to feed your mind good stuff. Read inspirational books (or my posts) and listen to lectures by people who achieved their goals and are now in a position you aspire to be in. This refuels your motivation and does not let your desire die easily.
Moreover, surround yourself with positive people who have set meaningful goals for themselves and strive to fulfill them. When you are surrounded by positive influences, their grit and optimism rubs off on you and helps you stay true to your goal.
When you do feel driven towards a certain goal, waste no more time to pursue it and create an action plan to achieve it.
Start working on that plan and keep track of your performance and eventually you will be at the point you have been dreaming of.