As I’ve gotten older and seen more the of what the world offers, I’ve come to realize that success depends as much on the desire of an individual as anything else. Hard work, persistence and intelligence also factor in, and depending on the endeavor (for which one is striving to succeed) these may play a bigger role. However, without a burning inner desire, your chance of success is greatly diminished.

While there are many ways desire helps you meet objectives, here are three factors that, if focused on, will accellerate your path to success:

• Dream big. The desire to reach greater heights, pass tougher tests or acquire something more than you have now drives you to work and persist. It gets you up in the morning. It drives you do everything you can to succeed. You need to have a vision of something greater than you now have.
• Help others get what they want. Working to help others achieve their desires helps you succeed more quickly. When you teach others or build them up or instill in them a desire to do more, you feel good about yourself because of what you have done for others. Help people get what they want and you’ll get what you want.
• Willing to sacrifice. To achieve anything truly amazing requires you to give up things along the way. What you will need to give up will vary, but you will have to give up certain things to free up the time and space for your efforts to succeed. In a recent post The Desire to Lead Simon Sinek said: “. True leaders show up to give — and when circumstances require them to give more than they ever thought they would have to, they do so willingly.”

How deep is your desire to succeed? What drives you or keeps you going on the path to success? Please share your experience in the comments below.

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The Product Management Perspective: To keep your products moving in the right direction you have to work hard and inspire others to do the same. Your desire for success will act as the barometer that drives everything else you do.