The Problem With Desire

We've been reading Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill as a Team and each RevTeam Member gets to present each week.  I chose this book because I've read a bunch (that is a technical term for hundreds) of self help writings, books, articles, and series over the last 15 years and I think next to the Holy Bible this is the most referenced and credited book I came across.  I figured what better way to read it than as a team. 

So each team meeting go over our big wins, personal and professional for the week, share ideas, cover upcoming events and news, and then before the reading discussion we always go over a fitness enrichment segment.  We each take a moment each week to present something to the team that raises our game as trainers and as a training group.  The more cutting edge and lesser known the better.


The point is at the end of all that is the really, really fun part we discovered when we initially tried this with Little Voice Management by Blair Singer.  Great experience, which over the month kind of bonded, annoyed and elevated us.  Good times.  So we continue the trend with TAGR. So?

Two big things struck me about TAGR.

1.  The darn thing was copyrighted in the 1930's.  And still is the basis for most self-help?  Nice.

2.  The book has a page before the intro that says the MOST PROFITABLE way to use the book is to meet weekly with others in the same boat and go through it in a feedback setting and working together to absorb it.  Very cool.

The first chapter was on desire, and that there are two big problems with people's "desires".  Most people have no idea what they truly want.  if they want money or success they cant tell you how much or when they want it by.  They can't tell you what it is if it isn't money and certainly can't define it down to measurables.   We went around the table and there was a small percentage that had a number and if prodded past the number for anything else or offered other options (higher numbers even) were unable to answer without more than a 2 second delay.  Interesting.  Could you define your top 3 goals in life?  In the next year?  For this week?  Its so mind boggling at first your mind just jumps right to something it CAN handle.

LIke the laundry, email, facebook, anything but this monster of a question.  We spent the next week figuring on that and will share that after discussing chapter 3 at the next Team Meeting.  My goals for the RevTeam is to invest in their leadership and success skills as well as to learn as much as I can about what makes them tick because I know Revolution and Revtraining are only as successful as those on the RevTeam.  It's an attitude and a culture we are after.  As our core values say, "We are Chasing Awesome."

So what is the problem with desire you ask?  From this chapter my take was how people say they strongly desire something and yet if the actions are not backing those desires up they feel stuck.  Maybe its not all the circumstances or others things you are identifying as obstacles, maybe just some clear goals with some definite deadlines are the issue.  Sounds simple until you try it...  Take those numbers you come up with and challenge your self - Why not 10 times that?  Why not do it in half the time?  Is the answer because you dont know how?  Dont believe you can?  Is that really what you will let stop you in this life?  Maybe so.  Maybe not.  But it would be nice to make that decision instead of having it made for you by default because you never stopped to think about what you are going to do with this tremendous gift we all have.  At least that is what I believe, so what do you believe?


The next move is we will be bringing those personal and professional goals to the next meeting hold each other accountable for having a defined goal, and slaying that monster of answering that question.  If that is the first step to ensuring success, then as a Team, that is what we are committed to.  WE ARE CHASING AWESOME!!!

What are you committed to?