Knowing your purpose and miracle way of achieving it!

Introduction

‘Sense of purpose’ in life is linked to lower mortality.

Evidence suggests that finding a purpose for your life may add years to it. ‘People who have a higher sense of purpose in life are at lower risk of death and cardiovascular disease’, as reported in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Bio-Behavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society, published by Wolters Kluwer. According to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, ‘feeling that you have a sense of purpose in life may help you live longer, no matter what your age.

Whether one is 9 years or 90 years old he can always keep the spark within him/her alive by having aspirations and attaining them. A purpose or goal in life could be anything – it may be as complex as winning the Olympics for someone whereas it may be as simple as making a perfect cup of tea for another. Whatever it is that you aspire for, if you are passionate about it and desire it truly – it is your goal. And why must we have goals when we are happy anyway – the answer lies simply in the fact that ‘Being happy’ and ‘Being vibrantly exhilarated’ are two entirely different things. One may just get you through life but the other will definitely make your life worth living!

James Bond

You are the James Bond of your life. Just as he has exotic equipment and vehicles in his films, you too are given all the high-profile gadgets in your life – your human existence, your brain; your sense of imagination; your emotions; your abilities – to achieve whatever you desire. However, these gadgets are worthless unless you know what you desire.

According to the World Bank data derived from the United Nations Population Division World Population Prospects 2017 Revision released on 21^st June 2017 and other sources, globally, life expectancy at birth has risen from 65 years for men and 69 years for women in 2000-2005 to 69 years for men and 73 years for women in 2010-2015 although there is a wide disparity between countries ranging from a life expectancy of 82 years or more in Australia, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Singapore, etc. to below 55 years in the Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, etc. According to the World Bank data, the average life expectancy at birth of an Indian is 69 years. This implies that other things remaining constant; an Indian has 828 months to live. A precious existence that is time-barred will be wasted if it is not made use of in a focused manner. You have a limited life that can be made use of in a superb manner and can be an inspiration to others or it could be wasted away aimlessly by just going any which way mundanely.

Nothing can replace the exhilaration of the ‘sense of achievement’ – it is a true joy. It can be experienced at any age and for any purpose. Being happy, making money, achieving success, etc. are signposts on the way, but the larger purpose in life which makes life truly worth it is to set your mind to what you desire the most, belief faithfully in it, and then to set about achieving it.

Know You Are Enough

Before anything else, it is of paramount importance that you are completely empty of self-doubt, self-limiting and unhealthy negative thoughts. Setting a goal and then not meeting it can be exasperating. In times like these, when you are in the bottomless pit of failure your self-confidence suffers a severe blow so indecision and self-doubt start growing like creepers in the garden of your mind – Remember ‘You are Enough’.

Every person is able and capable and there is perfection in every creation. Accept yourself and connect totally with who you are. Be comfortable with your identity which makes you what you are. Your beliefs, your likes, your dislikes, your perceptions, your character need not be similar to others. Your identity is central to you and controls your growth, if you waver and question your identity, then the growth trajectory also falters. Do not imitate others to achieve success. Be aware of yourself and that will give you the confidence to succeed as yourself.

Self-Image impacts many aspects of our lives. Our self-image in our own eyes is the most important determinant of success. If an individual himself/herself has self-doubt of his/her ability and is skeptical of achievement of goals – it is impossible that success is ever attained by him/her. How we perceive our own self builds self-confidence and helps us to accept our strengths and weaknesses. Achievement becomes easier with the starting point of a clear and confident self-image.

Identify your ‘X-Factor’. X-Factor is that noteworthy special talent or quality that makes you unique and stand out from others. If you go for your dream job and there are other contenders for the job apart from you with the exact same qualifications – then why should you be given the job in preference over them. What is that uniqueness in you which gives you an edge over others or makes you stand out? Your X-factor differentiates you from others. Identify it and enhance it. There are many successful men who have achieved what they wanted and have become sources of inspiration for others. It may be their intelligence, hard work, persistence, resilience, or charisma which may have made them so endearing to others – but the most important quality in every successful man is his ‘X-factor’ which is difficult to duplicate. You may acquire the same qualifications and expertise as someone else but you cannot photocopy his ‘X-Factor’; that belongs to him alone.

The true reason for being, the fact of being who you are – is the nucleus of your existence. A useful technique called “SWOT Analysis” is employed by businesses to identify their internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as their external opportunities and threats. SWOT analysis is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats and it is a structured planning method that evaluates those four elements of an organization, project, or business venture. Performing a SWOT Analysis of yourself will offer you detailed personal scrutiny of your capabilities and surrounding environment and help you to connect with yourself. Strengths and Weaknesses are intrinsic factors and will depict the strengths and weaknesses of your character. Opportunities and Threats are extrinsic factors and will depict the opportunities and threats which you perceive from your external environment. Opportunities and threats exist in your surroundings and are created by the life you live. But remember there are no fixed rules as to a person’s perception. So what one individual may consider as strength, another individual may perceive as a weakness. That is a matter of individual opinion and may be used likewise.

Every man knows his strengths and weaknesses and should have the courage to truthfully state them to himself, for if he cannot be true to himself he can most definitely not be true to the outside world. This analysis will give you a complete picture of yourself if performed truthfully. Be true to yourself when you perform your SWOT Analysis and you can apply the results of this powerful tool to capitalize on your strengths and minimize your weaknesses so as to grab the opportunities and work around the threats.

When you develop your identity, you resolve the internal crisis and help yourself to prepare for the future. Focus on your adaptive and creative characteristics to develop your personality and unite with your inner self.

Cherish Your Goal

If you get involved with your Goal – It is real. There is no right or wrong goal for anyone – it could be any particular thing for any particular person viz. wanting to get married; have children; get a job; fruitful career; money; success; attainment of peace and it could even be all of the above together. There may be more than one goal – there may be a goal, for now, one for 5 days from now and another for 5 years from now. Whatever your goal is, whatever the time period the goal relates to and no matter how many goals you have laid down in your life – the path to attain that goal begins from one basic starting point only viz. The starting point of anything you wish to aspire for is to ‘look carefully and decide how much it means to you.

Making a bucket list and identifying a number of experiences or achievements that you wish to accomplish during your lifetime is not the same as goal setting. You need to zero in on your bucket list and identify what each item on the list means to you – if you are willing to literally spend each and every day of your existence to achieve its fulfillment.

‘Goal’ is serious business. To fix a goal in your life you need to take a break from all kinds of influences. When you are totally happy and clear you must decide your goal. Don’t set goals in desperation. Desperate goals will mean something to you only at that moment but will seem confusing to you later and make you wonder why you set them in the first place. Most goals are traps you have set for yourself – they are dreams you weave looking at others. Be 100% clear about the reason you have set your goal and the value your goal holds for you. When your goal is set in the correct way, automatically the personality you desire to achieve this goal will come to you.

Your goal can be attained only and only when it seems real to you. If you truthfully and faithfully believe in what you desire you will most definitely attain it. Nothing can stop you; no amount of roadblocks and no failures seem like dead-ends when you are focused on your goal and nothing else. Henry Ford famously said, “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal”.

Belief, faith, conviction are words that move mountains. It is a state of one’s mind which can lead the owner of that mind to achieve things that no one has ever achieved just by the mere presence of this small little word “Belief” – Belief in your idea, belief in your line of action, belief in the outcome, belief in yourself. If you don’t truly believe in the innermost soul of your heart in whatever it is you set out to do, you most definitely will not succeed in it. However, if you believe in your thought, even though they may sound foolish to the world and unachievable at that point in time, they will most definitely bring you laurels sooner or later. Another ingredient needed to achieve what you aspire is a ‘Burning desire’ and not just hope or expectation. A passionate desire to which you are willing to dedicate your whole life and not rest until you achieve what you desire is what is needed for goal attainment. Condition your mind to see that whatever comes in your way in your journey towards the attainment of your desire are not obstacles but situations that you will mold in your favor. The universe will work with you for you to achieve what you desire.

Find your core reason for getting up each morning and doing what you do. The French call it ‘raison d’etre’ literally meaning “reason for being,” The Japanese concept of ‘Ikigai’ which means “a reason for being” or “the reason for living” is a cornerstone of Japanese culture wherein it is important to find your Ikigai because discovering it brings satisfaction and meaning to life. Your Ikigai is the source of value in your life and it makes your life worthwhile. Your current situation may be good or bad but your Ikigai gives you inner strength and makes you feel that your life is valuable.

Treat your goal with respect and know that you are willing to invest your whole life into it. However impossible your goal may seem, once you put your heart and mind into the pursuit of your single-minded purpose – it becomes attainable.

Ultimate Power Lies in Your Own Thoughts

Aesop’s famous fable of the Milkmaid and her pail is one which many have heard since childhood. Patty the Milkmaid was going to the market carrying milk in a pail on her head. As she went along, she began calculating what she would do with the money she would get for the milk. She was so engrossed imagining herself in her mind having earned lots of money for her milk. As she spoke that, she tossed her head back and the pail fell off it, and all the milk was spilt! The Greek storyteller Aesop was trying to teach us the importance of not counting your chickens before they are hatched. However, he may have not realized but simultaneously he showed the world that there is immense power in your thoughts. Her own thoughts could captivate the milkmaid to such an extent that she could completely imagine herself totally different than her current scenario. Such is the power of thought.

The single most important factor which directly determines your position in life is your own mind. The ‘Placebo Effect’ is a proven fact that some patients’ health improves after taking what they believe is an effective drug but which is in fact only a placebo (a substance or treatment of no intended therapeutic value). Therefore, a person can recover from illness just by his own mind only thinking that he is being treated.

Your achievement is a consequence of how your mind thinks. A ‘Thought’ is the Alpha and Omega of success. Buddha said ‘what you think, you become. The accomplishment of your goal has already started when the seed was sown in your brain as a thought. To be successful, you have to first train your mind. You must master your mind and have dominance over your thought.

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is an approach to communication used for both personal and professional development. It was created by American authors Richard Bandler and John Grinder in California, the United States in the 1970s. NLP works from the starting point that you may not control much in your life, but that you can always take control of what goes on in your head.

Imagine wealth, victory, success – and you will achieve it. You want success and the universe will serve it to you if you can control your thought process. A human mind is a reservoir of power: It can conjure up zillion thoughts. The art is in taking that one thought which you believe in and turning it into reality.

Fill your mind with positive thoughts. Let there be no place for negativity, gossip, worry, and criticism. You will destroy the beautiful seed of pure thought even before it germinates. Water your thought, nurture them and let them grow into unimaginable wealth and success. Every individual is his own person. He alone knows what motivates him and drives him to achieve. With his personal experiences and emotions, he alone can work on his impulse to make it a reality. Don’t poison that beautiful ability by clouding it with negative thoughts.

Negative thoughts are like toxins for the mind. They annihilate the vast universe of thought and reduce it to rubble. Add to it the venom of gossip and you have the perfect recipe for disaster. The only way to control your mind and nurture your ‘positive thought which is your goal’ to scale great heights is to live in the NOW. There is no past and no future. Your present moment is the only truth and that is all that exists. Just focus on the immediate present moment which is here and now and you will make yourself powerful enough to control your mind.

Just like the water takes the shape of the vessel it is poured into, let your thought also blend into the current moment. Let it not focus on what has passed and what will present itself in the future. Be aware and chalk out a planned action strategy to achieve your goal, but while on the path of achievement don’t let your thoughts sway. Train them to remain focused on the goal.

Human beings have sophisticated tools like visualization, memory, and imagination which are unique to their race and are found lacking in other organisms. This powerful tool when made use of can capitulates the person to the attainment of astounding success. Since we have the memory of the past and imagination of the future, we are able to make decisions and form a trajectory for a course of action. If we realize the magnitude of this simple task early in life and do it to the best of our ability, we can attain success most definitely in life.

Mental imagery and creative visualization are powerful concepts in human psychology. Mental imagery is the phenomenon of representation of our thoughts as pictures in the mind or a visual representation in a person’s mind of the external physical world. Human beings are better at remembering things when they create pictures about them in their mind. So if someone was to ask you what you ate for breakfast two days ago, you would tend to imagine yourself sitting on the dining table two days ago and would then try to intricately scrutinize this image. Creative Visualization, on the other hand, is the art of using mental imagery to achieve desired goals. It is the process of consciously stimulating the mind through generating powerful positive images with the intent to enhance the capacity of the body.

Visualization is an integral part of sports. Sportsmen have used this technique for ages to achieve the desired results. Mental skills can’t overcome a lack of physical skills but they help pull out your best performance. Like sports, visualization can be used in any profession to achieve success. The more detailed and vivid the visualization, the better it is. Say your goal was playing the cricket world cup winning the match for India – Visualize yourself as having achieved your goal; visualize yourself hitting the final runs required on the last ball; feel your hand gripping your bat as you strike it against the ball; the smell of the field; the emotion and energy of the players around you; the sound of the crowd. This incredible creative visualization helps one to prepare mentally and functions to complete the same physical actions you have imagined in the real-life itself.

Therefore, you can aspire to climb Mount Everest, run faster than Usain Bolt, defeat Muhammad Ali and do much more in your mind by just creating a mental picture of these events happening in your mind. Of course, creative visualization cannot substitute hard work, training, and diligent action, but it can stimulate the mind and body to achieve optimal performance. Imagine what you can achieve if you consciously start using these pictures and images to create a goal and guide your path through planned action in the achievement of this goal.

Laying The Foundations

Create a framework from which something larger, something more astounding will develop.

The What is more important than the How – when you are absolutely 100% clear about what your goal is, how you plan to attain it will eventually fall into place. Ask yourself if you are absolutely crystal clear as to what you want to accomplish and whether you passionately desire it and then begin to lay the foundation for its attainment.

The foundation of a building is the element of an architectural structure that connects it to the ground and holds it firmly in place. Foundations can be shallow or deep depending upon the depth of soil in which the foundation is made. Similarly, the structure we need to adopt for the fulfillment of goals needs to be chalked out and put on paper. Once the structure is in place achieving the goals does not seem a daunting task. Once that is done we have attained a shallow foundation. To obtain a deeper foundation we need to create an environment of introspection, self-motivation, and social service.

Just as a movie is a collection of various scenes and when we watch it we need to understand the various scenes to enjoy the movie in totality, similarly efficient goal-setting means seeing the larger picture while also being able to break that picture down into smaller scenes. So your goal for life should be broken down into smaller parts, such as next year, monthly, weekly goals that must be accomplished in order to achieve your life goal.

Edwin Locke, an American psychologist, developed a goal-setting theory to explain human behavior in specific work situations. This theory believes that a person who has found his goal will also find the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve it and argues that goals and intentions are cognitive and willful. The two key findings of Edwin Locke’s theory are that firstly setting specific goals leads to higher performance than setting unspecific goals and secondly, goal difficulty is directly proportional to performance such that, the harder the goal, the greater the effort, focus, and persistence, which results in higher performance.

So go for your goal!

Before attempting any goal make sure you lay the foundations, do your preparation and the goal should be achieved more easily. The framework to plan and lay down the foundation towards completing your goals should consist of the following action points in the given order:

Action #1: Find Unwavering Focus – Identify your best time of the day. Avoid the disturbance around and set your priorities right. When you chart out your goal(s) in life – you are the boss, so conduct yourself like how the boss would conduct himself/herself. The time you set aside to think about, write and chalk out the action plan for the attainment of your goal(s) should be your best time of the day. There should be absolutely no physical or mental disturbance and you should be totally engrossed and at peace with your objective of goal setting.

Action # 2: Goals should be SMART– ‘SMART’, a mnemonic/acronym giving criteria to guide in the setting of objectives or goals was first used in the November 1981 issue of Management Review by George T. Doran. Accordingly, goals should be SMART – Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This criterion helps us to set goals that are measurable and executable which makes them achievable. Arbitrary and vague goals cannot be transformed into executable plans and thus will get diffused or lost on the way.

An important aspect to keep in mind while setting goals is that Measurable Specifics ensure success whereas Generality results in failure. So a goal of ‘I will go the gym from 10:00 am to 11:00 am every day except Sundays and lose 6kgs by 31^st March 2019’ is most like to get accomplished than ‘I will go the gym daily and lose weight in the next three months.

Action # 3: Identify Your Motive – Your Goal should be important to YOU. Make sure you know what YOU want rather than what OTHERS want for you. Identify what is truly important to you and why it is important for if you are truly passionate and committed about what you want, then your goal itself will motivate you. Don’t set a goal just because you are bored and want to occupy yourself with something. Set goals that relate to the high priorities in your life

Action # 4: Write It Down– Although your goal takes birth internally in your own mind, however, its growth process and steps for achievement can only take place externally when you write it down yourself. Put down your goals on paper. List what you aspire for in life whether it is material possessions, happiness, strong relationships, etc. If you are not clear of your goals, even the universe will be confused as to how to help you achieve what you want. A 2015 study by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at the Dominican University of California showed that when people wrote down their goals, they were 33% more successful in achieving them than those who did not put down their goals in writing. Dr. Matthews’s study focuses on how goal achievement in the workplace is influenced by writing goals, commitment to the attainment of goals, and accountability for the realization of goals. The goals that are written are concrete. Therefore, the key requirement is to write down your goal which may be one or many and may be personal, professional, educational, etc.or all of them together. Written goals are like a commitment you make to yourself and so it becomes easier to make progress toward written goals.

Action # 5: Identify Your Goals at various stages – As a butterfly goes through various stages viz. egg, larva, pupa before its metamorphosis into an adult butterfly with each stage having a different goal. Similarly, the goal we set also may have various stages which require short-term objectives to be overcome which will, in turn, complete the larger picture. When writing down your goal, create a timesheet whereby you identify the shorter goals to be completed and their time frame for completion.

Action # 6: Identify the Barriers to Your Goal – The problem can be tackled only when the problem is identified, therefore identify the roadblocks which are stopping you from achieving your goal. If the goal is important to you, you can most certainly find a way out of each dark tunnel that comes between you and your goal. It will no doubt be very tough to overcome all the hurdles but when you emerge victoriously you will forget the pain and tears

Action#7: Planned Action Schedule – Even when we decide a fixed deadline for the attainment of our goal we seem to not fulfill it. The reason for this lies in the absence of a detailed time-bound action plan which fixes the time frame for each activity to be completed for goal fulfillment. Instead of a deadline, we need a planned action schedule for each activity which will ultimately result in the achievement of the goal by our set deadline. For e.g. – Consider the case of a student whose goal is to secure a result of 80% in his final exams which will begin on 25^th February and continue till 3^rd March. He/she has fixed the deadline of 20^th February as the day by when revision for all five subjects in which he has to sit for exams should be complete. Now the deadline of completed revision by 20^th February will not be attained unless he/she fixes the time schedule of each activity which will be undertaken by him/her every day so as to attain his/her goal of 20^th February. So a planned action schedule giving date-wise time to be spent each day on each chapter of every subject should be chalked out so as to eventually lead to completion of the course by the decided date.

Action # 8: Write your Commitment statement – It may sound foolish to oneself to write out your innermost desire statement, but however unconvincing it may appear to you, it is a proven fact that your commitment is your living proof to yourself that you have dedicated yourself to the attainment of your objective. Every time you stumble or suffer stoppages on the path to working towards your goal, reach out for your commitment statement, reenergize yourself and inspire yourself to not quit. Your Commitment Statement is like a pledge to yourself and gives you confidence in yourself and the courage to endure when on the path to the attainment of your goal.

Action # 9: Creative Visualization– As mentioned earlier, this phenomenon has been used by many sportsmen through ages in achieving historic victories. To achieve whatever it is your heart desires use the power of your imagination to creatively visualize your goal – feel it completely as if you are there in that moment when you are achieving your goal. As American author William Arthur Ward said “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.”

Action # 10: Take stock of yourself – Be honest about what you already possess, what you need to acquire, and what you need to improve about yourself. Accept yourself but don’t shut your eyes to your shortcomings in any field which needs to be improved upon.

Action # 11: Tools you need– Just as a workman needs his tools to create something phenomenal, humans too need the tools of positive attitude and determination to succeed and overcome challenges and roadblocks (both external and internal)on the way.

Action # 12: Monitor your progress– Review and Re-evaluate. Keep a tab on your progress by maintaining a logbook or diary. Each day record your observations; preferably let it be the same book where you have written your goal both (large and small), your commitment statement, and your action plan to achieve your goal. As you go along the way, you have to tweak the action plan as unforeseen circumstances crop up, therefore always keep revisiting your goal and keep reviewing and reevaluating the action plan for the same so that it remains vibrant instead of becoming obsolete.

Five Magic Mantras to sure-shot achieve your goal

• YOUR GOAL SHOULD BELONG TO YOU – Your Goal should not be what you SHOULD be doing but what you WANT to be doing.
• YOUR GOAL SHOULD BE IN WRITING AND REVISITED EVERYDAY – Goals which are thought in the mind seldom get accomplished because they get converted to dreams and further daydreams. Writing them gives them an act of finality and conviction. You need to stay connected with your goals and view them every day so that you may evaluate them
• YOUR GOAL MUST BE OF IMMENSE VALUE TO YOU – If you truly value your goal you will give your whole life and everything you have in life to achieve it. You will be motivated by it and overcome all challenges that come in your way
• YOU SHOULD BE OBLIVIOUS TO EVERYONE’S OPINION ABOUT YOUR GOAL – People will say what they have to say. It’s your job to focus and not pay attention to anything but your goal
• YOU SHOULD HOLD YOURSELF RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR GOAL – You should reward yourself for every extremely challenging step you take towards achieving your goal. The reward may be anything you love dearly but avoid maybe due to lack of funds. This will make you accountable to yourself and ensure you don’t falter in your path to your goal.

Five Fatal Fears to stay away from

• Your inner voice that tells you that “it’s impossible”, “it’s too complicated”, “it’s impracticable”, “it’s unattainable” etc.
• The fear of being scoffed at by people for your ‘foolish’ goal
• Taking a shortcut or ‘easy way out’ to accomplish your goal
• Expecting ‘Destiny’ and ‘Luck’ to shine on you
• Thinking You are the only one slogging and working hard towards your goal while others are having it easy

Blood Sweat Tears

Blood, Sweat, and Tears are the three milestones on the path to success.

Throughout Asia and even beyond, the bamboo tree is regarded as sacred and is famous for its strength and endurance. But growing the bamboo tree is not an easy job. Creating a beautiful and strong bamboo tree requires about five years of patience and persistence but once it matures it can become one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet – wherein it can grow 3 feet in 24 hours under appropriate climate conditions!

There are two important values to be learned from the Chinese bamboo tree – patience and perseverance. When you plant bamboo, even after nurturing it for one year you will see absolutely no growth above the ground. In the second, third, and fourth-year to there will be absolutely nothing above the ground – four years i.e. 1460 days of watering the soil, caring for the soil, providing it adequate sunshine, and nurturing it like your child will show zero visible results for all your efforts. You may probably start feeling discouraged and feel like giving up. But if keep taking care of the plant in those four years and persist even after that, in the fifth year you will see the bamboo plant suddenly shoot up from the soil and develop to about 80 feet of growth! So all this while your persistent efforts had been developing a strong structure for the tree underneath the ground which makes a bamboo what it is – dependable and strong. It bends but does not break; In the face of the wildest of storms it bends but once the storm passes over, it regains its posture once again. Just like bamboo farming is not an overnight, monthly or even yearly process, achieving your goals in life also requires blood, sweat, and tears which can be frustrating and unrewarding at times, but will ensure sure shot success in the future.

The more you work, struggle and do whatever it takes to reach closer to your goal, you will observe that the worst is over and somehow things are getting better and better. Remember your goal and your well-defined plan to achieve your goal, just focus on it; it will give you the strength to keep moving forward.

Patiently persist. Don’t lose your enthusiasm when you suffer setbacks on your road to success. They are merely stumbling blocks. Gather your determination and tenaciousness and with single-minded strength of purpose forge ahead. The harder you work, the closer your goal will seem. To reach the pinnacle of success you have to climb the small little steps on the staircase which will take you there.

Some people get punched and knocked down by lifetime and again, and each time they bounce back stronger. Instead of letting miserable situations break their determination, they face their demons head-on.

Imagine yourself in ten years’ time. What would you like to look back upon? What would you like to achieve 10 years from now? Now remind yourself that your tough circumstances are just an obstacle between your ‘Now’ and your ‘Future’ which you can visualize ten years from now.

It isn’t easy: but it has to be done. The only way to get over it is to go through it: face it headlong. That, in a nutshell, is perseverance – the persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

The formula for success is : Definite Goal + Definite Plan to achieve the desired goal + Hard work every single day = Sure Shot Success.

There are many great men and women in history who have achieved their success through determined insistence – Thomas Edison’s perseverance is legendary and he famously said genius is “1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”; Henry Ford; J.K Rowling; Walt Disney; Brazilian retired professional footballer Edson Arantes do Nascimento, known as Pelé; Venus and Serena Williams; the list is endless. The only way to your goal is to keep moving forward. Keep at it all the time. Persist, persist, persist; no matter how slow you are and how far the goal seems.

If you get punched down by failure and bounce back up, you have the strength of perseverance, resilience, grit, determination. These are not just strong words, but words that can make you learn, adjust, and actually return better than before.

Your ‘WILL’ can change everything. It can pull you out from the depths of misery. It can give you hope. It can make you millions. It can change your fortunes and your future. The ‘will’ comes from ‘within’. You are unstoppable once you have willed it.

Conclusion

Much has been said and written about the business of setting goals and achieving them. Many have tried and failed and those who have succeeded in attaining what they aspired for have gone on to become an inspiration for others. To become a member of the 100% success club in life, your goal must be your ‘raison d’être’ – your reason for existence.

So what is the single most important secret for attaining what you truly aspire for?

A young man asked Socrates, the classical Greek philosopher, the secret to success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next morning. As they walked together towards the river and the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the water. The boy struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue. Socrates pulled his head out of the water and the first thing the young man did was to gasp and take a deep breath of air. Socrates asked, ‘What did you want the most when you were there?” The boy replied, “Air.” Socrates said, “That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air, then you will get it.” There is no other secret.

When your goal becomes the reason for your existence – you will attain it. There is no other secret.