Success

Parkinson, the British television interviewer, was himself once interviewed on his job. "How wonderful it must be to spend so much time in the presence of so many famous and successful people." At this point in the interview, Parkinson pulled him up."You have used two words together which are very rarely true together. 'Success' and 'Famous' very rarely go together. Famous people are usually driven people who never succeed."

It's probably true to say that success is the achievement of our goals in life. Famous people never seem to reach their goals, for their fame determines goals beyond achieving. A house mum, whose goal in life is to raise and care for a loving little family, and who is doing just that, has succeeded in life to a far greater degree than a famous dreamer. Given that we all want to succeed in life, is there any formula for success?

Of first importance we have to set "life-goals". What do we want to achieve in life, what do want to get out of life, where do we want to be in ten years time? Where there is no ambition, no goals, then there is no incentive to achieve anything in life, and thus, no success. So, success is the achievement of goals. Of course, the goals have to be realistic, but that doesn't mean they can't be dynamic, extensive, even a bit beyond the achievable.

Next, success requires hard work. No work, no success. Mind you, there is more to it than just hard work. We actually have to work at our work. Slaving to achieve our goals and then having to become a slave to the goals themselves is but a poor success. Setting the right goals, and continually reassessing them, is of paramount importance. Working at our work also involves working at retaining interest and enthusiasm, especially when we have finally achieved our life's goals. Keeping at it, when we have arrived, is no easy feat.

Achieving our goals in life also requires planning. The hardest part of any journey is the first step. Achieving goals requires a step by step process toward that goal.

So then, in general terms, success in life comes through the management of life-goals.

One final comment that needs to be made, concerns the quality of our objectives. In the Bible there is the story of a farmer who had succeeded in all that he had put his hand to. In fact, his abundance was running over. "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself, but is not rich toward God.'" We do well to remember that "a person's life does not consist in the abundance of their possessions."

lectionarystudies.com