If you’ve ever read Napoleon Hill’s famous
Think and Grow Rich,
then you’re familiar with the concept of setting your “chief aim.” As
Hill explains it, your chief aim is your intention. It’s where you want
to go. It’s what you want to build. It’s who you want to be. He
underscores the importance of planting it firmly in your mind -- going
so far as to write down your chief aim, and then say it out loud every
morning and every night until it manifests itself in your reality.
Obviously,
reciting a bunch of words from a page isn’t going to turn you into a
multi-millionaire overnight. That’s not its purpose. The reason Hill
encourages aspirational individuals to write down their chief aim and to
remind themselves of it daily is to provide clarity. Clarity paired
with extremely focused work ethic is the true recipe for success.
Other successful people use variations of this approach. Kevin Harrington is a serial entrepreneur and best known for inventing “the infomercial.” He has sold billions in products and been a judge on
Shark Tank. In
a recent interview, Harrington explained that he largely attributes his
success to a simple quote which inspires him to take a positive
approach to life.
“I have a
saying that I live by, and it goes like this," he said. "'Whatever you
visibly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and, most of all,
enthusiastically act upon, it must inevitably come to pass.'"
This is a quote originally from the late Paul J. Meyer, an author and global authority on goal setting, motivation, time management and personal and professional development.
“I
visibly imagine myself being an entrepreneur -- and have been since I
was 15 years old, sealing driveways for extra money," Harrington
said. "I ardently desire being an entrepreneur. I sincerely believe I
will be an entrepreneur. Now, a lot of people say those same things, but
do you know where they fall down? They don’t enthusiastically act upon
becoming an entrepreneur, and that’s what I did, every single day.”
This
speaks to a much bigger lesson about what it truly takes to manifest
your reality and ultimately build whatever it is you want to build. It
doesn’t happen immediately -- nor should it. You first must face
obstacles and learn lessons. You must embrace your challenge with
persistence, focus, discipline and enthusiasm.
"I do 100 events a
year,” Harrington said. “And I know I don’t need to do them, but I want
to do them. I want to continue approaching entrepreneurship with
excitement. I want to continue stretching my curiosity muscles. I want
to continue improving, because that’s what it’s all about. It’s about
the process, and the love of the business.”
To adopt this mindset,
the next time things aren’t going your way, ask yourself: Can I imagine
my goal?; Do I sincerely believe I can make it happen?; and, most of
all, am I enthusiastically acting upon my ambitions every single day?
If
you answer "yes" to all three, then be patient. Remember, “It must
inevitably come to pass.” If it worked for Harrington and Hill, maybe it
will work for you, too.
