A colleague of mine told me about Napoleon Hill’s book Unwitting the Devil months ago, and a few weeks ago finally bought
it. I started reading it on Monday, and I’m already half way through it. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly suggest it. I admire Napoleon Hill’s ability to share his wisdom in such a timeless manner. If you’re read Think and Grow Rich you know what I mean!
In Unwitting the Devil, the concept of the drifter is discussed, and it made me wonder how many of us are willing to admit that we’re drifting through life? In the book, a drifter is defined as someone who has a “total lack of a major purpose in life.” It goes through a list of the many characteristics of a drifter, including eating too much with little exercise, never finishing what you start, indecisiveness, judgement and laziness. A drifter is someone who goes through life passively, being controlled by life’s events rather than taking control of his/her life.
I think that we all have had moments of drifting. I know that after my father died, my drifting became more obvious and more uncomfortable. It was in the years afterwards that I finally began to take control of my life; making a plan, taking responsibility and taking action. There are moments when things become challenging, that it is tempting to revert back to drifting, to feeling sorry for myself and that nothing I do matters anyway. The drifting doesn’t last long though. It doesn’t even feel right. If it doesn’t feel good, I’ve learned that you have to keep going until you find a state of mind you feel good about.
In the book, there would appear that there is a point of no return in drifting. That you can drift for so long that there’s no coming back from it. That’s a worrisome thought. To think that some of us will be condemned to live a life of drifting saddens me. It also empowers me with the will to ensure that this isn’t my fate. I believe that I have a purpose, a gift that I was meant to share with the rest of the world.
If you’re still not sure about what your purpose is, I can help! If you already know what you were put here to do, then tell me how I can support you in sharing your gift with the world. I feel like it’s our duty to help one another and nip drifting in the bud before it is too late! Are you up to joining this challenge with me? ♥