For each of us, our daily trek of life has its challenges, but we should always give thanks for the good points of each day. Today we are shifting from a focus on relationships and are heading up the 7 steps that lead to success. If we navigate these steps properly, we will come closer to success in all areas of our lives. This is crucial as we are daily creating our living legacy.
1. You attract success.
“Success is not to be pursued. It is to be attracted by the person you become.”
So few people realize this…Success is not something that you chase. It’s something that you turn into. Success comes from growth. It comes from growing bigger than the problems and obstacles that surround you. Don’t search for success. Commit to growing, commit to becoming, commit to doing what you know to do, and you will attract success. Proverbs 21:5 puts it this way, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”
2. You must change.
“Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.”
If you want change, you must change! You must work harder on yourself than you work on anything else. The greatest investment you will ever make is in yourself. Don’t invest in the stock market if you haven’t first invested in yourself. Labor to become a better person. Every day you want to be slightly better than you were the day before.
3. Never give up.
“How long should you try? Until.”
Never give up. If you just keep at it, eventually you will reach the top. It probably won’t happen in a year, but just imagine what could be achieved if you stayed focused for 20 or 30 years or longer. When I say never give up, I don’t mean to imply that you should wait around for something to happen. What I’m saying is that you should make something happen.
Success is not that complicated. I like what Jim Rohn said about success, “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”
Paul taught in Galatians 6:9, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
4. Environment is critical.
You must constantly ask yourself these questions:
- Who do I spend time with?
- How are they influencing me?
- What do they have me reading?
- What do they have me saying?
- Where do they have me going?
- What do they have me thinking?
- And most important, what do they have me becoming?
Then ask yourself the big question, “Is that okay?” Your life does not get better by chance. It gets better by change. You may have to make some difficult choices on who you spend time with. To follow up with the previous questions, I would ask you:
- Who are you talking to?
- Who are you listening to?
- What seeds are being planted into your life?
Environment is critical! In order for your life to produce fruit, you must plant the correct seeds, and they must be planted in the right atmosphere. You wouldn’t try to plant tomato seeds in the dessert because it’s not the right atmosphere for a tomato seed to produce. Likewise, don’t try to become successful surrounded by negative people. Create an atmosphere where you can flourish. Learn to guard what you hear and what gets planted in your thoughts, so you can become all that you were destined to become.
Paul taught us in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for ‘bad company corrupts good character.'”
5. Maintain steady progress.
“Success is steady progress toward one’s personal goals.”
My dad continually reminded us boys as we worked around the farm to take tasks slow and be methodical. That’s exactly how your dreams come to pass when you commit to achieve them. Nothing happens overnight. Look at anyone who’s successful. It’s taken them years to get there, sometimes decades. Don’t think you are any different. If it took them years, don’t be surprised when it takes you years. In other words, manage your expectations, so you don’t get disappointed unnecessarily. Success is possible, but it won’t happen tomorrow if you just began today. Remember, success is not a single event. You don’t become a success in a moment. Success comes from moving in the right direction every day.
The author of Hebrews taught us in Chapter 12 verse 1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”
6. Set your sail.
“It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.”
Set your sail or set your mind on what you want to accomplish. It’s not the circumstances of life that determine where you end up. It’s your commitment to arrive at your intended destination that determines your success.
7. Learn to see the value of time.
“Time is more valuable than money. You can always get more money, but you cannot ever get more time.”
There is nothing more valuable than time. You can sow your time and get anything you want. You can sow your time and get more friends, more money, or better health. Nothing is more priceless than time, so never waste this precious gift. I’ve never met a rich man who didn’t value his time, and I’ve never met a poor man who did. Learn to see the value of time because, with time, anything can be accomplished!
Ephesians 5:15-16, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.”
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