Do you have a dream more considerable than those you lead? Is your vision congruent with your desire? I’ve discovered that after over 20 years of teaching and coaching, the number one (1) key to success is this: Desire.
Simply put, the individual who wants to win the most typically will.
There is no characteristic other than desire that causes people to win at the highest levels. It’s not your race, color, religion, looks, educational background, career background, intelligence, or other factors.
I’ve seen those who had every advantage in the world fail. You know the ones I’m talking about: good looking, highly educated, former CEO’s, lawyers, doctors, executives, those with tons of credibility, etc.
I’ve also seen those who had none of the world’s advantages succeed at the highest levels: 24 years-old, minimal education, no previous success or business background, no credibility, etc.
In Cabo last week, I heard a story from a 71-year-old woman that I will call Ms. G. Her story is powerful. She grew up in the projects of New York. Her father was a pimp, and her mother was a drug addict who tried to abort her. Her grandmother stood in the gap and prayed that the abortion would fail. It did! Ms. G ended up being raised by her grandmother. She grew up to become a successful businesswoman, wife, and mother. She’s made millions of dollars and has lead sales teams across the globe. Here’s an example of an individual who had the deck stacked against her. She had every excuse to fail, but instead, her test became her testimony, and she continues to inspire people today.
So what’s the differentiator? DESIRE!
We will all face adversity in our life. Some will face more than others. Without a very high level of desire, you’ll never be able to endure life’s punches. Remember this. Dreams are the fuel that fire desire. If you want to harness your passion, your determination, and your drive, you must have a vision large enough to ignite all of those things.
I LOVE these two quotes from pastor Mark Batterson.
“Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.”
“God isn’t offended by your biggest dreams or boldest prayers. He is offended by anything less. If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God.”
A mentor of mine recently taught me the formula for success.
Desire + Skill x Faith = Success.
So I want to leave you with two questions.
- Have you stopped dreaming?
- Have you settled for a dream that is so small that you could accomplish it on your own without divine help?
Often, life beats us down, and we go from having a dream of being financially free, traveling the world, and making an eternal impact daily to having goals like merely getting out of debt or having enough money to pay the bills. Dreams like paying off your car are too small. With some self-discipline and perhaps some coaching, we can achieve those things on our own. But positively impacting the lives of thousands of people on a global scale requires something beyond most of us’ capacity.
The hard truth is that small dreams produce small results. While this is an acceptable path for some, it will never be the path to an “Abundant Life.” Isn’t it time to turn your dream machine back on? Big thinkers inspire others to think big, and big dreamers inspire others to dream big.
As leaders (Yes, we are all leaders), our number one job is to lead by example. We can’t tap into others’ desires unless we can pull them out of ourselves. Building successful organizations require duplication, so our number one goal should be to harness our passions and allow that fire to spread throughout our sphere of influence.
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Let’s Chase Our Dreams!
Bill
