Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for

In the words of H. L. Hunt, a man who rose from obscurity to wealth through persistence and shrewdness, we are given a formula that is as ancient as ambition itself: “Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work.” These words are not spoken softly; they are a map of destiny, carved with the chisel of discipline and choice. For life does not yield its treasures to the wanderer who drifts aimlessly. It bends only to those who decide with clarity, sacrifice with courage, and labor with unwavering will.

The origin of this wisdom lies in the timeless reality of human striving. Hunt himself was no stranger to adversity. Born without privilege, he built his fortune not through idle luck but through decisions, sacrifices, and work. He recognized the truth that every desire carries a price, and that no man can grasp all things at once. Thus he taught this eternal principle: first, decide what you want; second, decide what you will give up; third, focus your energy; and finally, work until it is done. This is not only his creed, but the creed of all who have carved greatness from the stone of circumstance.

History gives us many witnesses. Consider Thomas Edison, whose desire was to harness light itself. He decided what he wanted: a practical electric lamp. He decided what he was willing to exchange: years of failure, sleepless nights, and thousands of experiments. He established his priorities—science above comfort, persistence above ease—and he went to work. The result was a world transformed by electricity. Edison’s life was not chance, but the embodiment of Hunt’s command: clarity of aim, acceptance of sacrifice, and relentless labor.

The ancients, too, knew this law. Alexander the Great, when he set out to conquer Asia, burned his ships upon the shore. He had decided what he wanted: empire. He had decided what he would exchange: safety, rest, and even the lives of his men. By removing retreat, he established his priorities with ruthless clarity. And then, he went to work—marching, fighting, conquering, until the known world lay beneath his feet. His story, though stained with blood, reveals the same pattern: decision, sacrifice, focus, and toil.

The meaning of Hunt’s words is thus both practical and profound. They remind us that the world does not give without asking, and that every dream demands an exchange. To want without being willing to pay the price is folly; to work without knowing what one wants is futility. But to unite clear desire with conscious sacrifice and disciplined action is to unlock the gates of destiny. It is the alchemy of ambition, turning vision into reality.

The lesson for us is eternal: be deliberate with your desires. Do not drift through life envying the achievements of others while refusing the sacrifices they have made. Choose what you want with clarity. Ask yourself what you will give up in its pursuit—be it leisure, wealth, fear, or even the approval of others. Set your priorities like stones in the foundation of your house, and let no storm shake them. Then rise each day and labor, for the dream without work is dust.

Practical counsel is this: write your vision plainly. Name the thing you desire most. Beneath it, write the cost you are willing to pay—be it years of learning, hours of toil, or the shedding of comfort. Then strip away distractions until your priorities are clear, and commit yourself to daily action. Do not measure your progress by weeks but by years, for greatness is carved slowly. In time, your life will stand as a monument to the truth of Hunt’s words: decision, sacrifice, priority, and work.

Thus, let this teaching be passed down as a torch: “Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work.” Remember it in moments of doubt, when the path seems clouded. For these words are not the counsel of theory, but the iron law of achievement. Children of tomorrow, take them to heart: for the world belongs not to those who wish, but to those who decide, sacrifice, and labor until their vision is made real.