Sunday, July 15, 2018

Feeding Your Hunger

There are many qualities that can be attributed to success. They have been well-publicized and documented. While hunger is not an attribute (per se), it is a condition that amplifies and accelerates all success traits; making success both attainable and sustainable.

Hunger is sometimes confused with or mistaken for drive. The two are different. Drive is fuel that motivates action; hunger is an insatiable appetite that causes a deep yearning to be fed something (e.g., knowledge, love, opportunity, attention, status, money, etc.).

Hunger can't be quenched with a snack; it can only by satisfied with a full course meal. Hunger is also a complex emotion germinating from both a lack of something and a craving for something. It's important to note that hunger is never general; it's always specific. 

This specificity enables us to savor what we've been fed, much like food. When you are hungry for food you conjure up what you'd like to eat, usually what you have a taste for. Hunger is taste on steroids.

Hunger exists because a genuine desire or unmet need has lingered for too long. If it continues to persist there will be discomfort that serves the purpose of motivating you; hence the term, "hunger pains."

When hunger is superficial, it dissipates.

Sometimes we misidentify what we are really hungry for - especially when the hunger is a byproduct of a greater, unmet need. For example, many music artists - on the surface - appear to be hungry for success, when in fact, they are really hungry for attention, self-validation, or acceptance. The underlying reasons they want the attention are the root causes of the hunger. Success for most includes the attainment of notoriety, if not fame (both are byproducts).

When feeding your hunger, be mindful of what justifies and intensifies it. The deeper and more intrinsic nature of the causes, the more ferocious the hunger is likely to be. And remember, your hunger is selective; feeding it the wrong thing is just a needless appetizer that will only bring temporary relief for what your soul is really yearning for.

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