You don't have to be a futurist or a fortune-teller to be able
to predict one's future. You can do so by asking him or her one simple
question: What is your one definite purpose in
life--and what plans have you made to attain it?"
If you ask a hundred people that question, ninety-eight of them
will answer with something like, "I'd like to make a good living and
become as successful as I can.” While the answer sounds good on the surface , if you
dig a little deeper, you will find a drifter who will truly never get anything
out of life except the leftovers of truly successful people--those who have
definite purpose and plan for attaining it. To be successful, you must at this
moment decide exactly what your goal is and lay out the steps by which you
intend to reach it.
Years ago I worked with a fellow named Stuart Austin Wier of
Dallas. He was a contributor to a magazine I edited and was just getting by
financially. He would probably have remained a starving writer if a story he
was writing about an inventor hadn't suddenly inspired him to change his life.
Much to the surprise of those who knew him, he announced that he
was giving up journalism and going back to school to become a patent attorney.
He wasn't going to be just a patent attorney, he was going to become "the
top patent attorney in the United States." He put his plan into action
with such fervor that he completed law school in record time.
When he began his practice, he deliberately sought out the
toughest cases. Soon his reputation spread throughout the country and his
services were in such high demand that even though his fees reached
astronomical levels he was turning away more clients than he accepted.
The person who acts with purpose and a plan attracts
opportunities. How can life give you anything if you don't know what you want
yourself? How can others help you succeed if you haven't decided how to get
there yourself? Only with definiteness of purpose will you be able to overcome
the defeats and adversities that will stand in your way.
One of America's earliest and most successful franchisers was
Lee Maranz, a man who knew what he wanted and how to get it. A mechanical
engineer, Maranz invented an automatic ice cream freezer that made soft ice
cream. He envisioned a chain of ice cream stores from coast to coast and worked
out a plan to make his dream become a reality.
He, like many others since, built his own success by helping
others achieve theirs. He helped people set up ice cream shops by franchising
construction and design plans, a revolutionary idea at the time. He sold the
ice cream and made his profit from the sale of the ice cream mix. The
result? Tha t chain of stores Maranz was determined to create across the
country.
“If you have a strong belief in yourself, in what you are doing,
and what you want to do, no adversity is too difficult to overcome,” he said.
If you want to achieve success, make today the day you stop
drifting. Decide upon a definite goal. Write it down. Commit it to memory. Then
begin by putting the plan into action immediately.
Your future is what you make it. Decide now what it shall be.
This article was written by Napoleon Hill and is intended to boost you in your efforts for both personal and financial success.
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