How strong is your desire?

Over the past few weeks I have had a number of opportunities come to me. I have had to ask myself which is moving me closer to my ideal. Whatever dream you decide to go after, whether it is a family goal or a career goal, you must consciously decide that it is your life's mission. Benjamin Disraeli said, "The secret of success is constancy to purpose." You must go at it obsessively and set high standards for yourself along the way. There is no room for compromise when you are charting a course for your life or your career. It is either moving you closer of further away from your goal. Wes Smith, wrote a humor book called Welcome to the Real World, and in it he offered advice to fresh high-school and college graduates. He had a line in the book that pertains to the situation I faced that night. It said, "Having a drink with the boys after work every night is a bad idea. Notice that the boss doesn't do it. That is why he is the boss and they are still the boys." Wes wrote that line with one particular group of hard-partying young businessmen in mind, and five years after the book came out, he ran into one of them. The guy volunteered that he'd read that line in Wes's book and decided never to go drinking after work again. It paid off, he said. He had risen to a vice-presidency at a savings and loan. So too with you. What thinks are you saying yes to that maybe limiting where you can go? Simply, are you chasing the fire within or are you getting slightly side tracked? www.fraserstirling.co.nz