DAILY SLICE OF LIFE - The Desire to Achieve

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach full potential; these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”

This observation is from the teachings of Confucius, the highly respected ancient Chinese thinker and social philosopher who lived in the 4^th century BC. The statement continues to hold as true today as it did more than 3000 years ago when he enunciated it to his students. It is abundantly clear to any serious thinker, that in any field of human endeavor, the desire to achieve can only reach fruition when it is accompanied by the will to succeed and the ambition to provide one’s best.

Mario Andretti, the internationally acclaimed Italian born American race car driver, considered to be the greatest driver of all times, once made the following statement:

“Though desire is the key to motivation, it is determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal, a commitment to excellence that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”

Merely setting a goal without first having the clear desire to achieve a specific result is no better than running into a brick wall and hoping for success. Without a determined desire to achieve something, any effort or planning will be wasted and the setting of goals will be merely an exercise in futility.

         There is a reason why the great majority of people who have expressed desires to achieve specific goals have failed miserably in doing so, and for continuing to try and fail, without ever recognizing the reason. In most of these instances the reasons for failure are very rarely due to lack of ability, but rather the lack of commitment and dedication to the fulfillment of the desire; where the intent for success is motivated less from the individual’s own hopes and dreams, and more as a consequence of copying or competing with others. Unless there is a deep-seated desire and an accompanying optimism to succeed operating at all time, it is always be no more than a dream.

         Achieving one’s goals successfully will only become a reality not by dreaming or by instant gratification, but by a genuine desire to achieve, the willingness and the perseverance needed to arrive at the goal, and the dedication to completion despite the difficulties and the obstacles. The very gifted Spanish artist and sculptor, Pablo Picasso, considered to be the most influential artist of the 20^th century, placed this in the right context when he advised:

 “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”

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