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To help people live happy, successful lives; to harness their natural power and live to their full potential.
"There is a wick within you that is waiting to become the light of your soul. When this inner flame burns brightly, you will feel a magnificent awakening in your life." ----- Bradford Keeney
DESIRE INTO PASSION
Last month we dealt with a fairly simple process for deliberately creating positive change in any area of life, and one key ingredient was having strong desire. The reality is that the greater your desire, the greater your chance for success.
But what exactly is desire? The dictionary provided the following definitions … "an unsatisfied longing or craving", "to wish or long for", "to crave, want".
No surprise there.
Also not surprising is that most people I know (myself included) have at least one unsatisfied longing, craving, wanting, yet very few take significant action to satisfy it. This 'wanting' might be; to play a musical instrument, achieve a specific career goal, become healthier, start a business, loose weight, travel to faraway places, engage in a certain sporting activity, or whatever.
So if that's what someone wants, why don't they take action to make it happen?
Well, there are many possible reasons, such as apathy, fear of failure, lack of confidence --- but the bottom line is there just isn't enough motivation, which simply means the 'wanting' isn't strong enough. The truth is that if someone wants something badly enough, they'll overcome all of those obstacles and many more on their way to getting it done.
But wait. What if you do want something, but not quite enough to actually do something about it? Can you deliberately ramp it up, turn that wanting into STRONG desire?
Yes! Absolutely! In fact, there's a relatively simple process that will allow you to literally take your limited wanting, or 'spark' of desire, and fan it into a bonfire of passion, and once you've developed passion for something, action will not be a problem. So if you have a spark, don't let it die. Nurture it, feed it, blow on it, fan it, build it into an inferno!
Are you interested? Then let's get at it!
By the way, I'm well into applying this same process to one such issue in my life right now, and I know it will work (I'm already seeing results) because I've had success with it every time I've applied it in the past.
I'm sure you've experienced at least one time in your life when you were truly passionate about something and didn't let up until you had done what you set out to do. It may have been in the area of sports, music, school, work or some form of community involvement. Whatever it was, nothing could stop you.
Think back on a time like that for a moment. Wasn't that a great feeling?
Well, you can have that feeling again. You can deliberately create passion now for whatever this 'thing' is you presently want.
Quite a number of years ago the late John Kalench shared the concept of 4 Fuels being necessary for the deliberate development of passion, and those 4 fuels are at the heart of this process. So let's look at them now.
Fuel # 1 - Your Environment of Influence
Whether or not you are aware, your personal environment is having an influence on your thoughts every waking minute of the day, which makes it such an important fuel in the building and maintaining of your passion.
What is your Environment of Influence?
It consists of many things … the place you live, where you work, the Internet, movies or television shows you watch, the books, magazines or newspapers you read, people you associate with, and so on. Each of these has some influence on your thoughts, and consequently your feelings. Your feelings then influence your actions (or inaction in many cases), and your actions or inaction inevitably determine your results.
With this understanding, you can determine in advance the results you desire and then work backwards through the process to ensure that you achieve them.
Let's walk through this:
- If you know the result you want, you can determine what actions may be required by you to achieve it.
- When you know what actions are required, you can reflect on how you must feel in order to be motivated enough to take them.
- With an awareness of the feelings required, you can determine in advance the kinds of thoughts you will need to think to help create those feelings in you.
Is this making sense? To put it very simply:
- Thoughts determine feelings.
- Feelings determine actions.
- Actions determine results.
What does all this have to do with your environment of influence?
Simply this … everything you expose yourself to throughout the day potentially has an influence on your thinking, and so by default, on your feelings and actions.
So your objective is to deliberately bring things into your daily environment that are consistent and supportive of what you want, and eliminate things that aren't. Deliberately choose who you spend time with, what you watch and listen to, what you surround yourself with.
As I mentioned in last month's newsletter, when I was in the process of learning to play guitar several years ago I deliberately managed my environment of influence. I was already in the habit of only hanging out with positive people and avoiding negative ones, so that wasn't an issue (if it is for you, that's step one).
But then I also bought CDs and DVDs of guitar performances (the style I was learning) and played them regularly rather than other music. I deliberately sought out articles and books on guitars and guitar playing. I made every effort to connect with guitar players (interestingly, I began meeting them everywhere - Law of Attraction) and deliberately avoided spending time with anyone who had 'failed' at learning guitar or had negative things to say.
Before long, my environment was littered with positive guitar influence and I could feel my interest level and enthusiasm for playing getting stronger and stronger.
You can do the same with whatever it is that you wish to develop passion for. Little by little, layer-by-layer (and it doesn't take long), you can develop an optimistic, enthusiastic outlook and an increased interest and enthusiasm level.
So choose your Environment of Influence with care, for it can have a significant affect on you …… and will, if chosen wisely, be a very important fuel for developing and maintaining your bonfire of passion.
"The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat." ----- Napoleon Hill
Fuel # 2 - Commitment
With management of your Environment of Influence well under way, it's time to take the next step, to commit to whatever it is you want to accomplish.
The act of commitment tells the world that you are serious; that you will give of yourself to make whatever it is come about, that you are willing to feed your desire in order to build it into an intensely burning passion.
If your desire is to play a certain musical instrument, then commit to learning more about it and listening to music that features it. Commit to beginning a series of lessons, and to daily practice.
If your desire is to become physically fit, commit to some form of action such as walking daily or joining a fitness program. Read books, magazines and articles on fitness.
If your desire is to repair or develop a certain relationship, then commit to the intention of truly understanding that person. Set your ego aside, give your undivided attention and deeply listen. Commit to respect and acts of caring and consideration. Allow them to be who they are …… without judgment.
If your desire is to travel to faraway places, commit to reading about those places, watching travel shows or videos, and setting aside some money each month in a travel fund.
If your desire is to succeed in your career or business, commit to becoming a student of it. Seek out and learn from others who are already successful.
I think you get the picture. Whatever your area of desire, commit to it. Immerse yourself in it. From this commitment will emerge increased interest, focus and passion.
"There are only two options regarding commitment; you're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in-between." ----- Pat Riley
Fuel # 3 - Education and Training
The third important fuel for building and maintaining passion is education and training in the area of your desire, which often requires an investment of time and sometimes money. Are you worth it?
Of course you are!
Most people have time available that can be used more wisely. If for example your desire is to play a particular musical instrument or succeed in a certain business, then instead of watching television or reading fiction books, you can read something that will increase your knowledge of the subject. This alone will increase your interest and intensity of wanting.
Also, reading books and articles on personal growth will help improve your ability to manage your thoughts and attitude, which then empowers you to consistently do productive activities consistent with this interest (if you would like to become really accomplished in this area, check out our upcoming
ThoughtShop workshop).
Read about and talk to people who have already succeeded in this area. Learn from them and allow them to inspire you.
Invest in books, video and audio programs. This need not be an expensive proposition. Get together with others with similar objectives and share in the cost. Many excellent books can be found in second hand bookstores or thrift shops at a fraction of their new price. Although you can access many of these books at your local library, it's a good idea to buy the best ones so that you can refer to them regularly. You may also want to use a highlighter to identify important passages for easy future reference.
Turn your car into a rolling education center by listening to educational audio programs instead of the radio. Benjamin Franklin once said: "Take everything that you own and put it in your mind. That way nobody can steal it."
Reading, listening, watching and learning is only half of the equation though. The other half is being able to apply your new knowledge in a practical way. To this end, engage in practice and enroll in training or practical instruction classes.
If your desire is to play a musical instrument sign up for lessons or have someone you know give you instruction, and then set aside regular, specific times for practice. If your desire is to succeed in a particular business, then enlist the expertise of those already successful, follow their advice and religiously perform their recommended activities. Just as an athlete must practice and train to develop and improve his or her conditioning and skills, so must you.
Take your new knowledge and look for opportunities to use it in a practical way. In the case of learning an instrument, once you've become even half-way accomplished start playing for people, family or friends to start with. They love you, they'll put up with it.
Although at first this may seem awkward and uncomfortable, which is completely normal, don't let it deter you. We all experience this as we go through the steps of turning theory into practice.
What's important is that you take action. Begin participating in activities, even though they may seem fairly minor initially, that allow you to practically apply your knowledge. The more you do this, the more you involve yourself and create the feeling of wanting to do even more.
Investing time and effort in acquiring knowledge and training to develop new skills is a wise investment that will repay you well.
Education is the gathering of knowledge. Training is learning to effectively apply that knowledge. Education and Training are your third fuel for developing and maintaining your passion.
"The key to life is to become skillful enough to be able to do rewarding things." ----- Jim Rohn
Fuel # 4 - Visualization
Visualization is an incredibly powerful tool that is understood and used by top athletes and other high achievers throughout the world. Many people however, are either unaware of or don't fully understand it's potential.
What is visualization?
Visualization is simply the process of seeing the desired result in your mind's eye before it has become reality. Athletes have used this technique for years as a means of conditioning the mind to expect the desired result.
It's now becoming widely understood that the subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between something real or something imagined. Whatever picture is imprinted in it, the subconscious mind accepts as real. Therefore it only makes sense to imprint a picture of what you want as opposed to what you don't want. That's exactly why worrying is so detrimental. Worry is the act of implanting in your subconscious a picture of what you don't want to happen.
Rather than thinking about what you don't want to happen, it's far wiser to place pictures in your mind of what you do want. Your subconscious mind then goes into the mode of finding a way there, or of finding solutions to whatever the concern is.
Jack Nicklaus, the golfer with the most winning record of all time in major professional tournaments, used visualization with great effectiveness throughout his long career. Before he would hit any shot, whether in competition or practice, he first saw it in his mind's eye. He would see his swing, the club striking the ball perfectly, its flight, and then the ball landing in the ideal spot before rolling to a stop exactly where he wanted.
Jack would visualize this until he could feel that perfect swing inside his body. Then, focusing on the target, he would step up and execute the shot.
Was it effective? Check out his record and decide for yourself.
Our history books are filled with examples of extraordinary accomplishment. All great achievements begin with a vision, the end result clearly seen in the mind's eye from the very beginning.
So how can you apply this to your situation?
Think of your desire, your unsatisfied longing or craving. What is it that you want to do, have or be?
See a clear picture of it in your mind. See you already doing, having or being it.
Dwell on it. Hold that picture in your mind.
Feel what it's like to be doing, having or being it. Do this for several minutes each day.
Create an Image Board somewhere in your home. Place pictures on it that represent what you desire or that depict you doing, having or being it. Choose images that trigger emotion in you.
Your Image Board (or dream board as some people call it) may be a corkboard with stickpins or your refrigerator with magnets. Keep it current with fresh images to stimulate your emotions.
The more often and clearly you can see and feel yourself already doing, having or being whatever you desire, the more passion you will develop. And as you already understand, passion is the magic ingredient that will motivate you to take action; again and again, consistently, until your objective is accomplished.
Visualization is your fourth fuel in developing and maintaining your Bonfire of Passion.
"The stories in your mind become the stories of your life." ----- Kody Bateman
So there it is ... this simple formula for taking a modest amount of desire and nurturing it into a strong, motivating force of passion.
And what will you do with this formula? Will you say, "Oh, that's interesting, I can see how that might work, I'll have to try it sometime", or will you identify a desire and put the formula into practice?
It's easy to let sparks of desire die, to do nothing. Most people do it all the time. The only problem is that down the road it leads to a lot of regrets. That's not what you want, is it?
To your success,
Reg Neufeld
"Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you." ----- Jim Rohn
Susan, are you experiencing EVERYTHING you want in life?
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Reg Neufeld, founder of Growing Into Success Training, is a teacher of life success and achievement principles using practical, step-by-step processes that can help you get from where you are to where you want to be. If you're ready to take control and begin living a truly happy and successful life, get your FREE success tips now at www.growingintosuccess.com
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