Stay Hungry: Starving Yourself Into Taking Action

What is hunger? Hunger is a void—it’s an empty space that makes itself known through pain. Pain is the great indicator that something’s wrong. It’s the alarm that lets you know an area of your body needs attention. Sure, it hurts, but without that pain, the problem would get worse. Without that pain, you won’t run to the emergency room.

Physical hunger is the empty stomach that turns your insides in knots, and drives you to the kitchen. You’re now faced with a void—an emptiness—and eating is the way you fill the void, but it’s the void that causes the pain which drives you to take action.

If I wanted to make your hunger pain more severe, I only need to show you some food commercials. You know what that’s like, right? We’ve all experienced feeling hungry at Midnight and then getting hit by a series of fast food commercials on television. With most fast food chains sporting 24 hour drive-thrus, there’s more people getting out of bed to satisfy their desire for a double cheeseburger or sloppy burrito. The pain of the void will get even the lazy out of bed.

Coveting Can Be Good

It’s when the hunger pains get severe that we finally stop what we’re doing and make eating our focus. It’s the pain created by the void that releases your power to act. Therefore, the more hungry you are for something, the quicker you’ll take action.

If you’re not releasing the level of personal power right now to achieve your goals, or make a life transformation, then you’re not determined enough to do it. If you’re not determined enough, it’s only because you’re not truly hungry. Therefore, you have to increase your hunger.

How do you cultivate a greater hunger for something you want? By dwelling on it. By keeping it in front of your mind’s eye. You cultivate hunger by a positive coveting of that which you really want.

Crowd Out the Competing Desires

Have you ever noticed that you “get in the mood” for certain things when they’re brought to your attention? That’s because the more time you spend with something, the more you desire it. This is why you must drench yourself in whatever relates to something you want.

If, for example, you’re wanting to get in shape, try to introduce as many resources as you can that will keep that desire burning in you. Watch the fitness channels on television. Find fitness and nutrition related web sites, videos, and podcasts online. Spend time with people that are doing what you want to do.

The point is to crowd out any competing desires because they’ll war against your focus. The more you keep your passions and interests before you, the more you’ll hunger for them.

Stay hungry!