Summary: Episode 51: Write your DMP and you’ll have one of the top 3 of 17 principles of success in the bag. Download transcript: Definite Major Purpose Having Definiteness of Purpose Welcome to the pre-med podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Dan. Today I’m going to tell you all about the definite major purpose and why having one, better yet, writing it down, is actually one of your most valued assets and one of the things that is most surely going to help you get success, in whatever endeavor you set your mind to. What am I talking about today? Napoleon Hill had a big influence on getting me back on track, when I was between residency programs. I so wish I had known about his 17 principles of success when I did not get accepted into medical school, that one year. I had to reapply and got in the next year. It would have really helped. Part of my story, is not being able to get that GPA, or rather that MCAT score up there, not getting in and then, literally, not wanting to get out of bed for 3 days. I told my girlfriend I was down, I didn’t want to talk. She’s now my wife. I literally just pulled the covers over my head and just didn’t know how to face life, I thought. This was my direction. This was my calling. I got out of the Army. I was making good money, I thought at the time. I turned it down for this. How To Bounce Back with a Positive Attitude Now I’ve got a degree, a Bachelor’s degree in biology, that I can’t do anything with. It’s not a vocation. It’s not a certification. It’s not even a skill, to contribute to society, so that I can expect any kind of payment on return for my specialized services. That’s what a trade is. I felt, in a lot of ways, like the American education system let me down. Of course, I knew it was a risk to go pre-med and not have a fall back plan. I set my mind to it. I had some of the other principles at work for me, such as persistence. My attitude really got shot. It was a major challenge. Today I know the importance of a definite major purpose. I want to kind of share that with you. There are 3 words in the phrase definite major purpose. I’ll take each of them in term. Definite means that you have to be sure about it. You have to know what you want. It’s been said that the 2 big questions in life are who am I and what do I want? Here, in the definite major purpose, you need to dream big. Most limitations from the mind, come from you. They don’t come from external circumstances. If you believe that the circumstances are going to dictate your future, then I can’t help you. No one can. You’re just waiting for the next piece of bad news before you stop. Persistence is the 2nd of 17 Success Principles You need to be a little more persistent than that, if that applies to you. If not, understand that when you sit down to write your definite major purpose, you are writing something to take seriously. This is something to write down and show to your loved ones, your spouse if you have one, you family, your parents, boyfriend, girlfriend. Be proud about this. If someone is going to be a naysayer in your life, and is going to turn out being someone to discourage you, like my pre-med advisor and my Dad did, back at a critical time, then don’t show it to them. Don’t have the conversation about it further, once you realize it. That’s how definite needs to be. Definite enough to separate people, clearly from those that are going to support you in the process and those that aren’t. By the way, if you don’t have a significant other in your life, and you have a prospect, somebody you like, maybe that you’ve dated a while, but you’re not sure how far to take the relationship, show them your definite major purpose. If they’re not absolutely supportive, that’s not the right one for you. That is now definite I am. Major is the next word. It has to be a [...]
