Desire, Life’s Supreme Force

Without an inextinguishable desire, nothing is achieved.

Napoleon Hill, the 20th-century mystic, wrote in his book Think and Grow Rich, “Behind this demand for new and better things, there is one quality one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”

Knowing what you want and the desire to possess it are essential. In knowing what you want, you have to be specific. Instead of saying, “I want to read more,” specificity would look like, “I want to read one book on landscape garden design per month by dedicating 30 minutes every evening to reading.”

Specificity is the child of clarity. It is the litmus test of how clear you are about what you want. There is power in this.

Think of a magnifying glass that harnesses the rays of the sun and focuses them with single-pointed intensity to burn a piece of paper. When you are specific, you are essentially doing the same with your time, energy, and life force. Being specific allows you to focus them single-pointedly on what you truly want to manifest.

If specificity is the child of clarity, then focus is the grandparent. When you can focus—and focus well—you can maintain a state of self-reflection long enough to begin discovering what you want. This leads to clarity, which in turn leads to specificity.

Prolonged states of focus or concentration lead to observation, which is the first sign of the awakening of the superconscious mind. When you have clarity about what you want, a burning desire to possess it becomes critical.

The Wright brothers desired to fly. Edison desired to light up the night by his own means. Hillary and Norgay desired to summit Everest. Rosa Parks desired equal rights. Gandhi desired independence through nonviolence. The list extends beyond the archives of history, filled with men and women who channeled the power of desire to manifest what they sought. The power of an inextinguishable desire can mow down all opposition and surmount any obstacle.

I first met my guru when I was around nine years old. My second meeting with him was when I was twenty-one. The very first thing I said to him during that meeting was about my desire for my life’s purpose: Self-Realization. After stating this, I immediately asked if he would train me and help me achieve it.

He looked me in the eyes and asked, “What are you willing to do for it?”

Without any hesitation and with a conviction cemented in me for years, I responded, “I’m willing to give my life for it.”

I saw no doubt in his face as he heard my words, nor did it matter to me what he thought of my statement. My desire and what I was willing to do for it were paramount. I was resolute in what I wanted.

It all comes down to how badly you desire what it is you seek. The intensity of this desire will determine what you are willing to do for it and what you are willing to give up in the pursuit of it. In my case, I was willing to give my life for my life’s ultimate desire.

Ultimately, you must want it. You must truly want what you seek and believe wholeheartedly that you can and will get it. This desire must be accompanied by steadfast patience, and acceptance that the manifestation of your desire could take years, if not decades.

To quote Hill again, “There is nothing, right or wrong, which belief, plus burning desire, cannot make real. These qualities are free to everyone.”