Living Life with Purpose Part 5
“Having a Definite Purpose is the single largest difference between those that truly succeed at getting what they want and those that do not…” — Rick Cox
We left off last time stating that a mediocre plan applied with definiteness will win over a great plan indefinitely applied. We learned those not applying the necessary disciplines to ensure they get out of life what they want will only get out of life what life is willing to give up. This is the reason you often see many who should be on top of the world that are not. It is the reason you are baffled when you see someone you feel to be less than those you believe to be bright and educated, become successful. These successful people are applying Definiteness of Purpose and as a result they are being rewarded for their efforts.
The person with Definiteness of Purpose will not be one, as we stated in previous parts of this article, which is simply drifting along in life, but will be sure of what it is he or she wants out of life and will do whatever is necessary to see to it that life pays them what they want.
Those that drift through life will be those that are run by things OUTSIDE of themselves. Due to being run by that which is outside of themselves they are ever the slave of something such as cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, food, money, sex, power, gossip, laziness, etc. They allow something other than their own volition to direct their lives and as a result they do not enjoy the freedoms and success of those in control of self.
Life is simply a mirror. It is only mirroring back to us what we are on the inside. When we drift through life we wind up with the crumbs left by those who are getting what they want. When we are definite, we stand a greater chance of forcing life to pay what it is we want out of it.
My friend, the successful businessman, when I first met him smoked cigarettes and chewed tobacco. Over the next few years he would often talk about quitting and would try, but never did. One year, at New Years, he made a quality decision to quit smoking and did. He stopped smoking cigarettes after years and never picked them up again.
His ability to quit chewing tobacco was a different story. Chewing tobacco can gain a very strong hold on your physical body. He tried quitting several times, but it never took. Then one year just prior to New Years, he made a decision to quit drinking for the month of January and stop chewing tobacco. You would think you would do one at a time so one could offset the other. I watched him go for the entire month and never drink or chew. They say it takes thirty days to form a habit. I have heard it can even be done in as little as twenty one days, however, I believe the thirty day period works best. It worked quite well for my friend as he never chewed again.
After this he began taking a different approach to life by working at enjoying better health and thus enjoying a better quality of life. After all, what good is it to make money if you are unable to enjoy the successes for which you have worked so hard? This all happened because he became definite in what he wanted out of life. By taking control of his appetites, he quit drifting for cigarettes and chewing tobacco were running his life.
You see, Napoleon Hill said there is ONE QUALITY everyone must possess in order to win – that quality is Definiteness of Purpose. You must KNOW what it is you want and you must have a BURNING DESIRE to possess it. The problem is our life is often made up of too many burning desires. We have a burning desire to smoke, to drink, to chew, to eat, to make money, to gossip, to sleep, to be a success, to have more, etc. All of these are not capable of being fulfilled. You must focus on one or at most a few, but you will find IF one of the few is smoking, drinking, chewing, sex, or food, you will follow one of these rather than following the discipline to do what is necessary to get what you want.
You can’t have a burning desire for food and keep a fit and trim body. You can’t have a burning desire to smoke cigarettes and have healthy lungs and cardiovascular system. You can’t have a burning desire for alcohol and have a successful life when driving drunk will cause you to lose your driver’s license, get you thrown in prison and possibly lose your job. You can’t have a burning desire for sex and stay focused on doing all that is necessary to get ahead in life. Your burning desire must have a definiteness of purpose.
Having the correct Burning Desire will ALWAYS be a blessing to those around you while having a burning desire for smoking, chewing, alcohol, drugs, sex, food, sleep, laziness, etc., will only be self-serving resulting in heartache, not only for you, but for those around you as well.
So, do as my friend the successful businessman did, and rid yourself of those things that strip you of what you want out of life. Develop a burning desire for a Definite Purpose and make life pay you what it is you want. Accept nothing less.
Best of LUCK as you
Labor Under Correct Knowledge…
Respectfully,
Rick Cox