How to achieve what you desire?

3. How to achieve what you desire?

Our ancestors realized that kama (short form of kamana) or desire is the source of action, of creation and of procreation. Hence they elevated it not only to a godly status, but also included in the four goals of the human life. Mahabharata (XII. 167.34) says desire is the essence of life.

The heart’s earnest and pure desire is always fulfilled. In my own experience I have often seen this rule verified. Service of the poor has been my heart’s desire, and it has always thrown me amongst the poor and enabled me to identify myself with them.

I am indeed a practical dreamer. My dreams are not airy nothings. I want to convert my dreams into realities as far as possible.                                                                          -Gandhiji

Desire is a strong emotion and is the guiding star of all achievements. Every person who wants to win in any field of action must maintain a state of mind known as ‘a burning desire’ to achieve. Your desire may be to succeed in exams and obtain a good job or start a successful business venture. Or you want to make a scientific discovery or do something of great value to the mankind. Or you simply want to solve your life‘s conflicts.

The Wright brothers dreamed of a machine that would fly like birds. Now we can see aircrafts all over the world proving that Wright brothers dreamed soundly.

Today we see that his dream has been transforming the lives of many people.

Your desire should be righteous, in accordance with universal laws. The desire should be for the benefit of one and all, such as serving others, or entire human kind. When desire is contaminated with selfish passions and is detrimental to the welfare of others, it becomes evil and self-destructive.

The method by which a desire for an objective can be achieved consists of six definite, practical steps, listed below:

1. Be specific as to what you want.
2. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return either (capital in money) or (time in efforts for what you want to achieve. There is no such reality as ‘something for nothing’.
3. Establish a definite timeline for achievement (for example six months or December 31st).
4. Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action. Don’t wait for perfection and keep learning along the away.
5. Write out a clear, concise statement of what you want to achieve, set time limit, state what you intend to give in return, and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to achieve it.
6. Read your statement (above steps) aloud, twice daily, once just before going to sleep, and once after arising in the morning. As you read, see, feel and believe yourself already in achievement of your objective.

It may seem impossible for you to “see yourself having achieved” before you actually have it. Here is where a burning desire will come to your aid. If you truly desire so keenly that your desire is an obsession, you will have no difficulty in convincing yourself that you will acquire it.

In planning to achieve your ambitions, let no one snub your dreams. You  must catch the spirit of the great pioneers of the past, whose dreams have given to civilization all that they have of value, the spirit which serves as the life-blood of generations to come.

Thomas Edison dreamed of a lamp that could be lit without oil, and despite more than thousand failures, he stood by that dream until he made it a physical reality. Practical dreamers never quit!

If the thing you wish to do is right, and you believe in it, go ahead and do it! Put your dream across, and never mind what naysayers say if you meet with temporary defeat, for they do not know that ‘every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success‘.         

Abraham Lincoln endured many defeats in elections and also failures in personal life. But he finally became one of the great presidents of America.

Charles Dickens began his life by pasting labels on pots. The tragedy of his first love penetrated the depths of his soul, and made him one of the world’s great authors. That tragedy produced, first, David Copperfield, then a succession of other works that made this world richer and better for all who read his books.

Helen Keller became deaf, dumb, and blind shortly after birth. Despite her greatest misfortune, she was highly regarded as a great author, political activist and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor‘s degree in arts. Her desire to communicate with others gave her the strength to overcome disabilities and her book ‘The story of my life’ is an inspiration to many people.

Beethoven was a great musician despite his deafness. John Milton was blind, but well known as a great poet for his contributions such as ‘Paradise Lost’.

Their names will last as long as time endures, because they dreamed and translated them into reality. Rabindranath Tagore had lost most of his family members at a young age. That tragedy prompted him to come up with the Noble winner Gitanjali.

Strange and varied are the ways of life, through which people are sometimes forced to undergo all sorts of suffering before discovering their true self, and their own capacity to change their own and other’s lives. Desire is the starting point of all achievements. Kindle anew in your mind the fire of hope, faith, courage and persistence. If you have these states of mind, and a working knowledge of the principles explained in this e-book, all that you need will come to you, when you are ready for it.