Get Up and Go!

Since you are reading this, hats off! You are already employing drive—a characteristic that involves following through on your intentions. That alone sets you apart from most.

A study by the Canadian bookstore company Rakuten Kobo Inc. revealed that only 60 percent of books purchased are even opened. By this count, most buyers probably figure a book is worth their money, but once it is in their hands, they do not follow through with time or effort.

The study also revealed that those who do read typically make it about 10 to 40 percent through a book before quitting. You have already set yourself apart from the crowd by starting this article and committing to read it all.

The amount of drive you show in small matters reflects on how driven you are in your life as a whole.

In fact, drive is the fourth law to success in Mr. David Pack’s booklet The Laws to Success.

Merriam-Webster dic­tion­ary de­fines drive as “to impart a forward motion by physical force,” and “to press or force into an activity, course, or direction.”

Intentions function in one of two ways. You can either wait for the perfect opportunity for them to be fulfilled, or go out and accomplish them. Though it seems illogical on paper, most tend to do the first.

You have probably heard some of the statistics: 67 percent of people who pay for gym memberships do not actually go to the gym—49 percent of unemployed Americans, many of whom say they desire to work, are not actively looking for jobs—only 6 percent of those who make New Year’s resolutions achieve them.

It is easy to shake our heads and wonder, “Why don’t they just do what they say they will?” But the answer is not so simple.

People naturally exercise a high level of ambition: the desire or intention to do something. But most who have ambition struggle to exercise drive, which again means “to press or force into an activity” and perform those intentions.

While learning to be driven is not natural, if you truly desire to take control of the direction of your life, becoming a person of action is possible!

Why Drive?

Having knowledge is not enough to achieve anything in life. Like a car, all the parts can be in good working order, the fuel tank can be full, engine started, car in gear, and a driver can be present and even have the willpower to go somewhere. But without placing a foot on the gas pedal, the car will go nowhere.

Therefore, it is im­perative to not focus too much on what you would like to do. One entrepr­eneur wrote in Business Insider that “willpower and desire are not sufficient conditions for success. I have plenty of people who claim they’re ready to change…but they never do.”

Thinking about what you want to do and laying out your goals and dreams can feel satisfying—and it is an important first phase. But until you take an actual physical step toward your goal, you will always find yourself waiting. This can be a pitfall since the longer you think about doing something, the more you create a mind picture of what it will be like.

For example, you may plan to run a mile three days per week. Perhaps you continue to think of your plan for months and even map several different routes throughout the neighborhood. As you think about how running will affect your athleticism, you may even decide to join the school track team—all before even trying to jog once around the block!

When you finally decide to go for a run, you may be disappointed to realize that cardio workouts are more difficult than you thought. And because your plan did not work out how you hoped, you may be tempted to scrap it entirely.

In the end, you would probably realize that it would have been better just to try running before spending all that time planning for things you would never do.

Therefore, you must act and keep pushing yourself to fulfill your ambition.

Up and Going

One of the best ways to learn how to become more driven is to study and follow the example of other driven people.

Before he became the 20th-century leader of the Church, Herbert W. Armstrong had to continually train himself to move forward.

A passage from Mr. Armstrong’s booklet The Seven Laws of Suc­cess illu­s­­trates this: “You will al­­ways find that the e­x­e­­­­cu­tive head of any growing, success­ful organ­ization employs drive! He puts a constant prod on himself. He not only drives himself, he drives those under him, else they might lag, let down and stagnate.

“He may feel drowsy, and hate to awaken and get up in the morning. But he refuses to give in to this impulse.

“I remember the struggles I once had with this situation. It was during one of my ‘Idea-Man’ tours as a magazine editorial representative at age 22. I was having quite a struggle with drowsiness. Yet I acquired the habit of sleepily answering the morning telephone call and promptly going back to bed and to sleep. Then I bought a ‘Baby Ben’ alarm clock which I carried with me. But I found myself arising to turn it off, then plunging back into bed. I was too drowsy to realize what I was doing. I was not sufficiently awake to employ willpower and force myself to stay up, get under the shower and become fully awake and alert. It had become habit.

“I had to break the habit. I had to put a prod on myself. I needed an alarm clock that couldn’t be turned off until I was sufficiently awake to get going for the day.

“So one night at the Hotel Patton in Chattanooga, Tennessee, I called a bellboy to my room. In those days the customary tip was a dime. A half dollar then had about the same effect that a $20 bill would have today. I laid a silver half-dollar on the dresser.

“‘Do you see that half-dollar, son?’ I asked.

“‘Yes, Sir!’ he answered, eyes sparkling in anticipation.

“After ascertaining that he would be still on duty at 6:30 next morning, I said, ‘If you will pound on that door in the morning at 6:30, until I let you in, and then stay in this room and prevent me from getting back into bed until I am dressed, then you may have that half-dollar.’

“I found those bell-boys would, for a half-dollar tip, even wrestle or fight with me to prevent my crawling back into bed. Thus I put a prod on myself that broke the morning snooze habit and got me up and going!

“Often workmen never rise above whatever job they may have because they have no drive. They slow down, work slowly, poke around, sit down and rest as much as they can. In other words, they must have a boss over them to drive them, or they would probably starve. They would never become successful farmers—for a farmer, to succeed, must get up early and work late, and drive himself. They cannot rely on themselves—they must be driven by one of more energy and purpose.

“Without energy, drive, constant propulsion, a person need never expect to become truly successful.”

Mr. Armstrong’s stirring example reveals that being driven is not natural. Yet you can develop this characteristic by consistently pushing yourself.

Preparing to Drive

There are four steps—four Es—to remember as a method to fulfill your intentions. First, examine yourself to set the right goal.

Search yourself and come to know what you desire in life. What is your passion? Make sure it does not violate God’s will—search your Bible, read Church literature or ask your minister if in doubt.

For example, perhaps you desire to be more socially outgoing. Recognizing that you want to take more initiative in meeting people, create a small, realistic goal. Tell yourself or write down, “I will say hello to three people I do not know well at Sabbath services this week, and I will try to hold a conversation with them by asking questions.”

Doing this can be compared to having a destination in mind and starting the engine in a car—revving it up to be ready to go.

Now you have developed ambition, which should compel you to act. But before the big moment, it helps to have a road map to reach your destination.

This is the second E—explore.

Do research! Read books, including biographies. It has been said that every goal you desire to accomplish has been completed by someone before you. Reading about others will give you new ideas for achieving your goals. (Note that we did this by including the passage about Mr. Armstrong.)

Here is a bit of information that simply required a Google search to find. Psychology Today reported that “early birds are more proactive than evening people, and so they do well in business.”

Christopher Randler, a professor at the University of Education in Heidelberg, Germany, performed a study in which he found that those who wake up early “tend to get better grades in school, which gets them into better colleges which then leads to better job opportunities. Morning people also anticipate problems and try to minimize them…They’re proactive.”

Just waking up at a set time each morning and fulfilling tasks right away (e.g., making your bed, going for a quick jog, praying) trains you to be a go-getter throughout the day!

Research does not have to be limited to books and articles, however. Talk to people. Find someone who is working on the same goal as you—or who has accomplished it—and ask them questions.

Be sure not to exclusively spend time with the same people during Sabbath services, week after week. You will limit yourself if you only fellowship with those in your age group.

Ask older people genuine questions—whether elderly, middle-aged and married, or even single young adults. Do not be afraid to frankly inquire about something you are trying to figure out: “What mistakes in life can you advise me to avoid making?” “Were you ever shy?” “How should I go about buying my first car?” “I’m struggling to wake up in the morning. How do you stay motivated to get up each morning?”

Often, just hearing that a person experienced the same problems as you can encourage you. Better yet, you may receive advice or even an offer of help from that person.

Hit the Throttle

Research sets you up for the third E—engage.

This means hit the throttle! Since this is the most challenging and unnatural step, begin with small and simple tasks. Take mini-risks—little missions that you are confident you can accomplish.

For example, if you want to develop physical strength, start by doing a five-minute routine of pushups, pullups, crunches and squats each day in your home.

As you experience success, you will feel more confident that you can handle bigger steps such as lifting weights, running a track or taking on a sport. It is exciting to track your progress as you do something you perhaps did not think you could! What once felt uncomfortable will begin to feel natural.

Involve your friends in the process. Sharing your plans with a close friend will help you stay committed. Also, if you are uncomfortable doing something alone, having someone else with you will boost your confidence.

If you find making new friends difficult, ask someone you already know to join you as you introduce yourself to someone you have never met. Then, take the next step and plan a group activity including that person.

Also, sign up for AYC! Amb­assador Youth Camp is all ab­out doing activities with other teen­agers. Even if you find it difficult to make friends, just being at camp and experiencing events together will foster powerful bonds. (If you feel held back by shyness, read our article “You Can Conquer Shyness!”)

In addition, if you want to prepare for a paying job, seek volunteer opportunities first—this can include helping around your home or at services. Most people expect to be told if someone wants him or her to do even a simple task such as taking out the trash during a potluck after services or washing dishes. Instead, take the first step and ask the person in charge if you can help.

Taking initiative is one of the greatest strengths employers look for in potential employees. If others see that you gladly take on extra work and always offer to do so, they know you will act similarly in a job situation.

If you are already employed, look for new areas to contribute at work. Proactive employees often end up earning promotions, thus increasing their pay, recognition and influence. They may even end up becoming managers.

Maintain Momentum

Once you have settled on an action, the fourth E comes into play—endure.

Correction, setbacks and unexpected challenges always arise. Naturally, when this occurs, most shrink back into their comfort zones and hope circumstances change.

But what good is it to engage the throttle for one step and then let the car roll to a dead stop? Keep driving!

Avoid the assumption that a goal is accomplished in one day or that one failed action determines the course of the rest of your life. Take heart from this quote by one of history’s most successful inventors, Thomas Edison: “I failed my way to success.”

In other words, Mr. Edison did not obsess over failure—he used the valuable experience he got from failing to become successful. He ultimately became perhaps the most prolific inventor in human history.

You have a helper that famed historical figures did not: the God of the Universe. Every step of the way, share your goals and progress with God in prayer. He knows your heart’s desire and wants to provide for you.

He does not want you to expect these desires to come pouring out of heaven without any kind of effort on your part, however. Neither does God want you to think that your effort alone brings complete success.

Go to Him consistently. Share your goals with God. Discuss your struggles and challenges and always request His help with them.

Over time, God will provide what you desire if you earnestly seek Him and if it is in line with His will. Do not become disappointed if you pray a few times and the situation does not seem to change. Remember what Christ said: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened” (Luke 11:9-10). Asking, seeking and knocking until you come to an answer all takes endurance.

Learning to drive yourself to be a doer will be most valuable as you enter your 20s—a time of greater responsibilities.

And just by reading this entire article, you have proven that you can take little steps. Use the drive you used to read it to accomplish your goals.

Now it is time to examine, explore, engage and endure. Get out there and do!