You have to want it

Some people are just more likely to achieve than others. Some people attribute it to intelligence, but studies show that is not the best indicator. Some people attribute it to position, but being born with it doesn’t mean you’ve achieved anything, actually it's quite the contrary. Studies also show more and more successful people come from poverty. So what “determines” our ability to achieve? That’s right, determination. It’s been a hot topic as of late, people trying to figure out what makes one person more likely to achieve than others. We’ve been told from an early age that you can do anything you put your mind to. While I know that literally anyone cannot do anything they set out to do, the evidence supports the notion that it is a good indicator for success. A desire, a need to overcome, creates within us a determination to do something; and this determination is the leading cause of success. If I may quote the wisdom of Solomon, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes to poverty”. Such sayings speak directly to this innate human psychological need.
 
I often give tests. On one occasion I decided to place within the 100 question test (#42 to be precise), a sub-test on following directions. Question #42 simply stated “For the sake of the environment, please submit your test completely blank and you will receive a perfect score.” For while I was handing out the exam I told everyone to read the exam thoroughly before beginning, including writing your name. I was surprised at how many of those tests I had to grade. There was one young lady, though, who carefully read through the pages; the rest dug right in after a cursory perusal. After about five minutes the diligent young lady approached me. “Chef, are you serious ?” She pointed to the question. “Absolutely.”, my hand outstretched to receive the pristine paper. “But…” she hesitated. “What ? You don’t want the 100 ?”, I taunted. “Yes, but I really want to take this test. I know I can ace it.” “But can you get 100 right here, right now?", It surprised me only a little when she went back to her seat and, nose down, hunkered in, determined to ace the test. It was an amusing hour. About 35 minutes in, people started getting to #42. The room was filled with sighs, groans and a couple of cusses too. “Shhhhh! We’re in the middle of a test people.", I chuckled as I looked up and caught that one young lady’s eye as she wagged her head at me.

Let’s face it, you've gotta want it. Not even necessarily the goal, the perfect score, the extrinsic thing, but the desire to get it, the act of accomplishing, the intrinsic internal satisfaction derived from the doing. Deep down inside you create this desire to control your situation and its outcome. You actually revere the pursuit and becomes its own reward. And when the achieving the reward in fact becomes the reward, it become a marked step essential for self fulfillment, a fundamental human need. In essence, doing for the sake of doing trumps doing for the sake of reward. This determination is the first step towards success. Next, recognize this relationship we have, of ourselves to our environment and others. And how our determined action plays its part. Once we own this, we can recognize the value in what we do; we have agency and self importance. Our achievement becomes connected in a human need way, that of connectivity. The next step of a determined, motivated person is demonstrated by the value of what they are doing and its relevance to the world. Once we grasp the intrinsic nature and relevance of our determined act, we can set ourselves towards a truly motivated achievement of the goal. We recognize the value to the group, now we recognize the value to self and our autonomy. How we fit our independent achievements into the collective enables us to find our meaning, our purpose. So what should we take away from all this ? Set your sights, be resolute. You want to achieve something? Set your mind to it, realize its importance, and internalize it. Know that what you are doing is important and needs to be done. Not just to get it done but to be getting it done. Once you’ve got that under your belt, get off your butt and do something about it; act. Don’t just think about it, do it. Remember, it wasn’t about having the perfect score, it was about getting the perfect score. There’s a difference, it’s called determination.