How to be Successful
It seems these days that the most important thing in life, especially in America, is to be successful. Success can make you feel confident, popular, and even approved by others. However, the problem with success is that it can be based entirely on the wrong things.
As Steven Covey wrote in his famous book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, “Many people climb the ladder of success only to get to the top and find out the ladder is against the wrong wall.”
With all the opinions and ideas about success, how can someone actually become successful in life? And should it be important to be successful?
Success means “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” This means that if you set your own goal, such as a New Years’ Resolution to lose 20 pounds, then you accomplish it, it means you are successful. If you don’t lose weight, then you are not successful at that one goal. If your goal is to get ten new clients per month and you do that, you are successful, and if not, you failed to accomplish the goal.
The problem with subjective targets for success is that you will never make everyone happy. If you asked a million people what would make a person successful, l bet you would probably get a million answers. And even if you accomplished one or two out of those million answers, then one or two people of those people might call you successful, but the rest would say you failed.
There is no possible way to be a success in the eyes of everyone.
“The true definition of success is defined by the One who knows why you are alive.”
The good news is that you don’t need to be successful in the eyes of everyone. You only need to be successful in the eyes of “Only One,” which is your God and Father in Heaven.
It is most important to know how God defines success, which is found in the greatest commandment and summed up --- to love God and love others.
It is not putting yourself first but putting God first and having a relationship with Him. If you do that, He can lead you; if not, you will end up putting your ladder against many wrong walls.
Here are some important questions for the week to answer and keep in front of you:
1) What has been your definition of success?
2) How does your description compare with God’s?
3) What do you need to change to love God and walk closer with Him?
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, I continually try to get validated by the world, and I know this world is lost and decaying. Help me only to desire to know you and follow you. I am your child, and I know you love me. I lay everything down before you. Do with me (all that I am and all that I have) whatever you desire. Thank you for making me successful in your eyes. Amen!”
Scripture:
Matthew 22:36-40