What Is Success?

Success means different things to different people. Ask four or five people, and you will get four or five different answers on what success is in each of their worlds.

I think I have found the very best definition of success in a little book called 'Think on These Things' by John C. Maxwell.  He says, "Success is choosing to enter the arena of action, determined to give yourself to the cause that will better humanity and last for eternity."  That is a mouthful, but it is also a mindful—so please take a moment to read it again, slowly. If you still haven't fully grasped it, read it again. I had to read it several times myself. It is a doozy!! Okay, ready to move on?   

Maxwell goes on to explain each of the seven components in his definition of success. But at the end of the chapter, he summarizes as follows:

"Success is
Knowing the truth and accepting it;
Finding a need and filling it;
Facing a challenge and meeting it;
Losing a life and finding it;
Having a plan and following it;
Developing a talent and sharing it;
Going to heaven and knowing it."

Your world is your family, your home, your workplace, your church, organizations you belong to, teams you are on, etc. We each have a great opportunity to change our world.

Like the infant church in the book of Acts, we should make every major decision in our world under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Just think about the widespread influence of that handful of people...Peter, John, Paul, Philip, Stephen, Barnabas, Timothy, Silas, Lydia, Apollos. Who was behind the success of those early church planters? The Holy Spirit.

So, I would encourage you—daily, invite the Holy Spirit into your world, not as a guest, but as a resident. 

Speaking from experience, on the days I remember to do this intentionally, I can tell the difference in myself, in my home, and in my interactions with the people around me. I am different. My world is different. It is successful. And more peaceful. In my attempt to remember to call on the Holy Spirit, I placed a sign above my office door that says, "Holy Spirit, you are welcome in this place."

Friends, God wants to use each of us to make our worlds successful. This is how we can do it.

Maxwell closes this chapter with, "I wish you all the success in the world!"

And I say to you, "As do I".

Think About This:

What do you need to do to help you remember to invite the Holy Spirit to guide you throughout the day? 

If you would like a sign of your own to frame or post, visit my website by clicking the link below for a free poster to download:  Free Downloads 

Welcome!!

Welcome to the That's Life Blog.

Thank You for joining me on this journey called LIFE!  

I hope to meet you where you are in some small way.  My desire is to touch your heart and make you smile through my words and pictures.  I hope to encourage, uplift and give insight by sharing what I have learned, observed, and experienced during my life. I have lived a lot of life so I have a lot to share. But I am also still learning, so I admit, I definitely don't know it all. 

I think, I see, I reflect, and I write.

If as you read, we meet in a place of familiarity we can nod our heads and say to each other, Yes! That's life!!  

Together, we can build a safe place to rest in the life we have been given, to learn and grow, and to become who we were made to be.  So I would encourage you to invite a friend to the That's Life Blog and share the posts on your Social Media. Follow it, engage in it, comment (I will answer.), and be a part of discussions because almost everything is better when you do it with someone, right? We really are better and stronger together.  

Typically posts will go up each Friday before noon MTN time. This is a clean Blog - no foul language, no violence, no judgment, no inappropriate innuendos, and most often suitable for both men and women.

Happy reading my friends!!  See you next Friday!  Let's do life together.