When Edwin C. Barnes hopped off the freight train in Orange, New Jersey, USA, more than 100 years ago, he may have resembled a tramp, but his thoughts were those of a king!
Think And Grow Rich would be the thoughts of a king filled with determination and an idea so ingrained inside of him that it could be called a burning desire.
As he made his way from the railroad tracks to the Thomas A. Edison office, his mind was racing. He saw himself standing in the presence of Edison. He heard himself asking Mr. Edison for an opportunity to carry out the one consuming obsession of his life, a burning desire to become the business associate of the great inventor. He felt the feelings flooding over him when the great inventor gave him the chance to prove himself.
Barnes desire was not a hope! It was not a wish! It was a keen, pulsating, passionate desire which transcended everything else. It was definite.
This man had The Think And Grow Rich philosophy,even if he did not know that it would later be thought of as such.
The desire was not new when he approached Edison. It had been Barnes dominating desire for a long time. In the beginning, when the desire first appeared in his mind, it may have been, probably was, only a wish, but it was no mere wish when he appeared before Edison with it.
Fast Forward
A few years later, Edwin C. Barnes again stood before Edison, in the same office where he first met the inventor. This time his desire had been translated into reality. He was in business with Edison. The dominating dream of his life had become a reality. The Think And Grow Rich philosophy was being put into practice.
Many people who knew Barnes envied him because of the break life yielded him. They saw him in the days of his triumph, without taking the trouble to investigate the cause of his success.
Barnes succeeded because he chose a definite goal. He placed all his energy, all his willpower, and all his effort, everything back of that goal. He did not become the partner of Edison the day he arrived. He was content to start in the most menial work, as long as it provided an opportunity to take even one step toward his cherished goal.
Five years passed before the chance he had been seeking made its appearance. During all those years, not one ray of hope, not one promise of attainment of his desire had been held out to him. To everyone, except himself, he appeared only another cog in the Edison business wheel, but in his own mind, he was the partner of Edison every minute of the time, from the very day that he first went to work there.
As you can imagine from what you have just read, the determination and desire remained a constant flame in the heart and mind of Edison.The Think And Grow Rich philosophy was just as much a part of Edison as his own arms or legs.
Standing alone in a crowd can seem difficult to do if you have not made a personal commitment to yourself regarding what and where you want to go in life.
The reward will come if you keep the faith and belief alive within yourself.
Remember the words ,burning desire.
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