Dedfiniteness of Purpose
Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. And its lack is the 1)stumbling block for 98 out of every 100 people, simply because they never really 2)define their goals and start toward them. Study every person you can think of who has achieved lasting success. You will find that each one has had a definite major purpose. Each had a plan for reaching that goal, and each 3)devoted the greatest part of his or her thoughts and efforts to that end. Andrew Carnegie was the man who led me to 4)formulate my definite major purpose, 5)assembling and 6)publicizing the principles by which great individuals achieve 7)enduring success.
Carnegie started work as a 8)laborer in a steel mill. Because of his definite major purpose to make and market better quality steel than anyone else, he became one of the wealthiest men in the country and was able to 9)endow libraries in small towns all across America. His definite major goal was more than a wish. It was a burning desire. Only by finding your own burning desire will you achieve success. The difference between a wish and a burning desire is crucial. Everyone wants the better things in life, money, fame, respect. But most people never go beyond just wishing for them. If you know what you want from life, if you are determined to get it to the point that it becomes an 10)obsession, and you back that obsession with continuous effort and sound planning, then you have awakened and developed definiteness of purpose.
Once you learn how to harness the 11)tremendous potential of your mind, how to organize the knowledge you already have, you can turn them into the power necessary for obtaining your definite major purpose. Definiteness of purpose develops self-reliance, personal initiative, imagination, enthusiasm, self-discipline and concentrated effort. All these are required for success. Definiteness of purpose encourages you to 12)specialize and 13)specialization leads to perfection. Your success in life will depend a great deal on your ability to know much about a specific area and to perform exceptionally within it. General education is important because by pursuing it, you will discover your basic 14)aptitudes and desires. Once you have 15)discerned them however, you should immediately begin to acquire specialized knowledge in your major interest.
Definiteness of purpose will act as a 16)magnet to attract to you the specialized knowledge necessary for success. Once you have determined your definite major purpose, you will begin to budget your time and your money and all your day-to-day endeavors so that they will lead to the attainment of your major purpose. Time budgeting always pays dividends because each moment is made to progress toward your goal. Money is also used to its best advantage, ensuring that you pass the 17)mileposts along the road to success. Successful people make decisions quickly as soon as all the facts are available and firmly. Unsuccessful people make decisions slowly and they change them often. Remember that 98 out of a hundred people never make up their mind about their major purpose in life. They simply can’t make a decision and stick to it.
How can you overcome the habit of avoiding decisions? Start with the very next problem you face and make a decision. Make any decision. Any decision is better than none. If you make some mistakes at first, take courage. Your 18)batting average will improve. Knowing what you want will help in decision-making of course, because you can always judge wheather or not, it will contribute to your goals.
The greatest benefit of definiteness of purpose is that it opens your mind to the quality known as faith. It makes your mind positive and frees it from the limitations of doubt, discouragement, 19)indecision and 20)procrastination.
