Principle #1 — Desire
Part 1 of 13 | Think and Grow Rich — Lessons for the Indian Investor
Arjun was 29 years old, earning ₹80,000 a month, and spending ₹79,500 of it.
He had downloaded three investing apps. He had bookmarked twelve YouTube videos about SIPs. He had told his mother — twice — that he was ‘thinking about starting a mutual fund’.
But Arjun had no money in any of those apps. The videos were unwatched. And every month, the money disappeared like water through a fist.
One Sunday, he picked up a dusty book from his elder cousin’s shelf. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. He almost put it back. But the first chapter stopped him cold.
“Wishing will not bring riches. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsession — then planning definite ways to acquire riches — and backing those plans with persistence that does not recognize failure, will bring riches.” — Napoleon Hill
Arjun read it again. And again.
He realised something uncomfortable: he had been wishing. Not desiring.
What is the difference?
Wishing is passive. It sounds like: ‘I hope I have money someday.’ Wishing feels good. It costs nothing. It changes nothing.
Desire, in Hill’s sense, is something sharper. It has a specific number. It has a deadline. It has heat behind it.
Hill asks six questions before you can call something a real desire:
- How much money do you want — exactly?
- What will you give in return for it?
- By when?
- What is your plan?
- Have you written it down?
- Do you read it aloud — morning and night?
Arjun had answered none of these. He had only a vague feeling that money would be nice.
What this looks like for an Indian investor
‘I want to build wealth’ is a wish.
‘I want ₹1 crore by the time I am 40, so that I can send my daughter to a good college without borrowing from anyone’ — that is a desire.
Notice the difference? The second one has a face. A daughter. A fear of debt. An age. It is personal enough to hurt if you fail it.
That specificity is what transforms vague intention into action. That is what makes you set up a ₹15,000 SIP instead of thinking about it for one more year.
Arjun’s shift
That Sunday, Arjun did not open an app. He took out a piece of paper and wrote down exactly what he wanted, how much, and why.
He taped it above his desk.
He read it the next morning. And the morning after that.
Three months later, he had started his first SIP. It was not a large amount. But it was real. And it was running.
The apps had not changed. The market had not changed. Arjun had.
Desire does not guarantee results. But without it, nothing else in this book — or in your financial life — will work.
Want to put these ideas to work in your own financial life? At rahulmoney.com, I help salaried professionals build simple, goal-based mutual fund portfolios. If you would like a free conversation to get started, reach out via the website.
Disclaimer: Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks. Please read all scheme-related documents carefully before investing. Rahul Bhaskarini | ARN: 351164 | rahulmoney.com