“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”

~ Napoleon Hill

As I look back at some of my biggest accomplishments, I can see that the truth in this statement is undeniable.

Likewise, all instances when what seemed like an outer force stopping me from moving forward, stems from my lack of clear purpose and above all, my inability to commit at 100%.

Over the years, and now having worked with several individuals as they discover their vision, perhaps fall in love with it, and then take steps towards it, I have seen that those who cannot give to their task at full commitment, stumble backwards.

The gravitational pull of the life we have known is stronger than the force of the life that is seeking to be expressed. Not until we give at full steam, when we have, what Napoleon Hill described as a “burning desire,” can we truly press forward.

So, before reading on, I invite us all to ask the question—what is the one vision, one dream, one goal, we have had for some time that seems to never get accomplished. What is it?

Maybe it is a fulfilling relationship, finding our soulmate; maybe it is losing those extra pounds, getting in shape; or maybe it is writing that book, going after a new career, or a new job, or growing at the company where we are now employed. What is it for you, that is a strong desire, that has a strong pull? What are you longing for?

As we ponder over this question, and then write our dream on a blank piece of paper, let’s also write next to it—I am committed to fulfilling this goal at 100%.

How does it feel? Can you say, with complete integrity, that you are in fact committed at 100%? Napoleon Hill says that decisiveness of purpose is a key ingredient of success, but one will never have decisiveness in purpose if the purpose is unclear, and if the desire for achievement is softened by doubt.

In all situations, when we get into a fog, like we are walking in water, slowly, without much progress, ask the question. How committed am I to my vision? How committed am I to being the person I say I would love to be?

Answers vary, but whether there is a 1% pull backwards, or a 10%, it does not matter, that pull will win and will keep us stuck. This is why.

The life that is seeking to be expressed is not yet in our field of reality. Although in metaphysics terms that reality exists because it has already been shaped in our mind as a seed of thought, it is not, yet, in our current frequency of reality.

It is like going over a brochure with the available programs on television for tonight’s shows. We can see that at 8 p.m. PST our favorite comedy will be aired, and yet our TV is currently tuned in to a channel that is not the channel we desire. We need to get the remote control, get ourselves in harmony with that frequency by flipping to the correct channel, and then, the show we desire pops up at the right time.

For now, however, as we imagine ourselves in a reality that is something other than our current reality, we are still resonating at a channel that is similar to the channels we have watched over the last few months, and maybe years. We are not yet seeing and experiencing in our current life that reality. Because there is a gap, what Thoreau called ‘an invisible boundary’—invisible because it only exists in our minds, and in terms of frequency of energy, and not because there is in fact a physical obstacle in our way, we must pass through that space without having to obtain evidence of its possibility.

In other words, when we are at CNN and we want to switch to the Discovery Channel, we cannot, at the frequency of CNN, find evidence that Discovery programs exist, are possible, are better, or are in fact what we would love. We must make the switch.

Many of us stumble on the question, of whether or not we are 100% committed to our vision, not because we do not wish for it, but mostly because we lack evidence of it being possible for us. Without the evidence, we conclude that it is not possible. But as Price Pritchett says in You2, “absence of evidence, is not evidence of absence.” In fact, I would say that at this juncture, this gap between the now, and the life we are endeavoring to create, there will never be evidence. The only evidence one may find, if one must look for any, is the evidence that it is not possible.

When we seek for evidence that is not possible for us, we will see that there might be many ‘possible reasons’ why it may not be possible. But they are far from real evidence. Again, nothing can prove it one way or the other, because it has not yet happened, not in our life, at our current juncture.

The trick then, is to stay tuned to the vision, and let the desire for it be the only guide in our progress. Unfortunately, when we lack the ability to stay at 100% commitment, the very types of conversations we engage in tend to support the ‘logical reasons’ why doing what we would love to do, taking that big step, saying yes to our dreams, is silly, irrational or dangerous. We find, in fact, that our most loved ones—parents, friends, partners, who are also the closest to us, will often become the strongest advocates for us to not move forward. They do not mean to mute our life down, and keep us at CNN, but since they are at the same frequency as us, they feel a strange fear of the unknown.

Their fear is projected onto us, and it always shows up disguised. It is disguised in the form of the ‘voice of reason,’ so convincing, we stumble back, and stay put. Fear, unless it triggers a fight or flight response in a moment of real danger—like being attacked, is based on the assumption that something in the future will go wrong.

Fear, in cases like this, is based on the fact that, should things go bad, we will lose, we will suffer, and we will then regret having tried. But what if we changed the type of questions we are asking during these conversations, and we say:

if I imagine that everything will go exactly or better than what I would love…if I imagine myself living this dream life, what are some of the opportunities and actions I would be taking today? 

At this level of conversation we get to block the fear frequency while at the same time expanding our reasoning faculty beyond its current limits. We stop looking for evidence (or excuses) and we begin to look, and find, opportunities and actionable steps.

When we come from our vision, rather than our fear, we are able to switch the channel. We in essence place ourselves at the higher frequency we are endeavoring to experience. Along the way, as we stretch our imagination and our reasoning faculty, we also get to tune to another importance gift we possess—our intuitive mind.

The process of following our heart’s desire is the surest way to place ourselves closer to our intuitive voice of guidance. Intuition is the voice of God, or spirit speaking to us. It is the way we connect to the Universal mind. This mind holds the only truth we must learn to embrace as we endeavor to live the life of our dreams—that if it is possible at all, then it is possible for all. Commit yourself 100% to your heart’s most sacred desires, and see the power of your vision win over the power of fear.

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Editor: Rachel Nussbaum

Photo: elephant journal archives