"The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat."
— Napoleon Hill
In the opening chapter of "Think and Grow Rich," Napoleon Hill establishes what he considers the foundation of all financial success: a burning desire. Not a mere wish, hope, or want—but an obsessive, all-consuming desire that propels you into consistent action.
Why Most Financial Goals Fail Before They Begin
Have you ever set a financial goal in January only to abandon it by February? According to research, nearly 80% of New Year's resolutions fail, and financial goals top the list of abandoned aspirations. The reason isn't lack of information or even lack of resources—it's lack of sufficient desire.
Hill discovered after interviewing over 500 of the world's most successful people that the difference between those who achieve extraordinary wealth and those who remain financially stagnant isn't intelligence, connections, or luck. It's the intensity of their desire to achieve specific financial outcomes.
Transforming Wishes Into Burning Desires
Here's the process Napoleon Hill outlined for transforming vague financial wishes into concrete, burning desires that produce results:
- Be definite about the exact amount of money you desire. Vague wishes produce vague results. Instead of saying "I want to be wealthy," specify "I intend to acquire $250,000 by December 31, 2025."
- Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money. There is no such reality as "something for nothing." What value will you create? What service will you provide? What problems will you solve?
- Establish a definite date by which you intend to possess the money. Without a deadline, desires remain perpetual dreams. The subconscious mind requires concrete timelines to organize its resources.
- Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin immediately. Ideas without action are merely wishful thinking. Your plan may evolve, but you must start with some concrete action steps.
- Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount, the time limit, what you intend to give in return, and your plan for accumulating it. The act of writing crystallizes thought and creates a psychological contract with yourself.
- Read your written statement aloud twice daily. Read once after waking and once before sleeping. As you read, see, feel, and believe yourself already in possession of the money.
The Edwin C. Barnes Example
Hill illustrates the power of burning desire through the story of Edwin C. Barnes, who decided he would partner with Thomas Edison—despite having no connections, no money to travel to meet him, and no obvious qualifications. His desire was so intense that he hopped a freight train to Edison's laboratory and announced his intention to become Edison's business partner.
Though initially hired for menial work, Barnes' unwavering desire eventually led him to spot an opportunity others missed. When Edison invented the Edison Dictating Machine, Barnes knew it would be successful even when Edison's salespeople were unconvinced. Barnes requested the right to market it, and through his persistence and desire, he indeed became Edison's partner and made enough money to retire a wealthy man.
The Practical Application for Your Finances
How can you apply this principle to your financial life today? Here are three actionable steps:
1. Conduct a Desire Audit
Assess your current financial goals and rate your desire to achieve them on a scale of 1-10. Be brutally honest. Any goal that doesn't rate at least an 8 should be either discarded or reimagined until it ignites stronger emotion.
2. Create Your Money Statement
Following Hill's six-step formula above, create your definite written statement. For example:
"By December 31, 2024, I will have in my possession $100,000, which will come to me through multiple streams of income including my consulting business, my online course, and strategic investments. In return, I will provide exceptional value to 500 clients by solving their specific problems through my expertise in financial analysis. My plan begins today with the following actions: 1) Creating a detailed business plan, 2) Reaching out to 10 potential clients per week, 3) Developing my online course curriculum..."
3. Intensify Your Desire Daily
Desire, like a fire, needs daily stoking. Beyond reading your statement twice daily as Hill suggests, consider these practices:
- Create a vision board with images representing your financial goals
- Join a mastermind group of like-minded individuals with similar financial aspirations
- Study biographies of those who have achieved similar financial goals
- Eliminate relationships and media that dampen your financial ambition
- Create immediate small wins that build momentum toward your larger goal
When Desire Meets Adversity
Hill points out that a true test of desire is how it responds to temporary defeat. The most wealthy individuals he studied had all faced significant setbacks, but their desire remained undiminished.
Consider Henry Ford, who went bankrupt multiple times before successfully launching Ford Motor Company. Or R.H. Macy, who failed in seven businesses before his store in New York became successful. Their desire didn't just survive failure—it was strengthened by it.
The next time you face a financial setback, ask yourself: "Is my desire strong enough to overcome this temporary defeat?" If the answer is yes, you have the foundational element required for financial success.
Conclusion: From Wishful Thinking to Wealth Creation
As we navigate an increasingly complex financial landscape, the fundamentals of wealth creation remain unchanged. While investment vehicles, technologies, and economic conditions evolve, the psychological foundation of all financial achievement begins with burning desire.
In our next article, we'll explore Hill's second principle: Faith, and how to develop unshakeable belief in your financial goals even before they materialize in the physical world.
Until then, remember that weak desires bring weak results. Fan the flames of your financial desires until they burn so intensely that success becomes inevitable.
