“What does it really take to become successful?”

And whenever people ask that question, they are usually hoping for a tactic, a technique, or perhaps a clever shortcut.

But the truth is much simpler.

Success doesn’t start with a tactic. It starts with desire.

In my book Dare to Be Different, I talk about the key factors that shape success, and desire comes first.

Why?

Because unless you truly want something deeply and personally, you are unlikely to do what is required to achieve it.

And I want to be very clear about what I mean by desire.

I’m not talking about casual interest.

I’m not talking about saying:

“It would be nice to be more successful.”

“It would be good to earn more money.”

“I’d like to have a better business.”

That isn’t desire.

That is wishful thinking.

Real Desire Changes Your Behaviour

For me, real desire is when the goal matters so much that it starts to change how you behave.

It gets you out of bed a little earlier.

It makes you make the telephone call you have been avoiding.

It makes you prepare properly for the meeting instead of turning up hoping everything will somehow work out.

And it makes you keep going when somebody says no.

That is when desire becomes meaningful.

Because wanting something is easy.

Doing something about it is very different.

What Separates Average From Exceptional?

In financial services, I don’t believe the difference between average and exceptional performance is usually intelligence.

It is rarely product knowledge.

And it is not always experience either.

Very often, the biggest difference is hunger.

The best advisers I know don't simply want success.

They want to make a difference.

They want to build something meaningful.

They want to create a reputation they can be proud of.

They want to make a genuine impact on their clients.

And, in many cases, they want to prove something to themselves.

That is why they do the things other people are unwilling to do.

They make the extra call.

They have the difficult conversation.

They prepare when others don’t.

They keep learning.

They keep showing up.

And when things don’t go their way, they keep moving.

What Do You Really Want?

So perhaps one of the most important questions you can ask yourself is:

What do I really want?

Not what sounds impressive.

Not what your manager thinks you should want.

Not what your colleagues are chasing.

Not what society tells you success should look like.

What do you genuinely want your business to look like?

What do you want your reputation to be?

What level of income do you want to create?

What impact do you want to have on your clients?

And what do you want your life to look like as a result?

Because when the answer becomes deeply personal, something changes.

When desire becomes strong enough, discipline becomes easier.

Rejection becomes less painful.

The uncomfortable parts of the journey become easier to tolerate.

And the work starts to feel much more worthwhile.

Desire Must Become Commitment

There is an enormous difference between thinking about something and committing to it.

We can all think about becoming fitter.

We can think about building a better business.

We can think about earning more money.

We can think about helping more people.

But thoughts alone change very little.

Success begins when desire stops being a thought and becomes a commitment.

So today, don’t simply ask yourself:

“What do I want?”

Ask yourself a much more challenging question:

“Do I want it badly enough that I’m prepared to do something about it?”

Because when the answer is genuinely yes, your behaviour starts to change.

And, in my experience, that is where success really begins.

— Sandro Forte