Success

Published by Roger Butner on

People define success in many different ways.  For some, it can be roughly measured by the number of digits in one’s salary or the net value of one’s portfolio.  (I suppose these folks are feeling less successful by the day, given the economic mess coming from Wall Street and D.C.)  Others define success by their level in a company or their chosen field.  For athletes, ranking or records may be the primary definer of success.  Level of influence is a key success indicator for some.  Many look to the healthiness or satisfaction level of their relationships as markers of success in life.  And sometimes success is viewed in simple (yet elusive for many) concepts of joy, peace, or health.  Of course, you may have some other primary facet of life that means success to you, and it may be a combination of several things.  Regardless of your definition of success, I believe the following statement tells you how to achieve it:

SUCCESS IN LIFE IS ACHIEVED BY CONSISTENTLY ACTING ON CONVICTION, RATHER THAN IMPULSE.

Acting on principle, rather than feeling.

This requires looking beyond the moment to the bigger picture of meaningful goals.

It is walking by faith, and not by sight. (For those who are offput by religious sounding language, this biblical reference can be practically understood as “making life decisions based on your core beliefs and goals, and not by immediate feedback from either the environment or internal emotional processes.”  For what it’s worth, I believe this statement from Scripture is about spiritually healthy living, not religiously appropriate activity.  Of course, I would argue that this is true of the whole of God’s Word, but I’ll expound on that in a later post.)

“You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race.  Everyone runs; one wins.  Run to win.  All good athletes train hard.  They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades.  You’re after one that’s gold eternally.  I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line.  I’m giving it everything I’ve got.  No sloppy living for me!  I’m staying alert and in top condition.  I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else about it and then missing out myself.”  – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (The Message

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”  – Hebrews 12:11

“Therefore, we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

With Hope in Him,

Roger

Categories: inspiration

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