My thoughts on success.

Are you struggling with success, or rather lack of it?

I’d like to speak to you about success. Do you think you’re reaching your full potential? What is success anyway?

Success is different for everyone. To me, success is being happy where you are, while striving to get where you’re going. Success isn’t necessarily having the biggest home, or the latest car, although some people see that as success.

I feel successful, although I only own a modest home and drive an older model car. I’m comfortable financially and although I work, I feel I have a good work/life balance. I feel successful, because most of the time I do what I love. Sure, there’s bills to pay and housework to do, but most of time, I do what I love. And I enjoy good health…what’s more important than that! (Although even that, doesn’t have to define your success.)

Am I where I want to be yet? No, but I continue to strive and I’m doing what I love and what makes me happy, as I work towards my personal dream, the dream I envisioned for my life. I’m financially comfortable. I have good relationships with family and friends. I work on what I’m passionate about, throughout my week and I’m happy and content. For me, that is success. 

What’s my dream, you might ask? My dream was to become an author and I have achieved that, a number of times. My dream now, is to become an author, where book sales support my lifestyle. That’s the thing with dreams, they’re flexible and changeable.

I have a very nice job. It’s not my dream job, but I like it and it keeps the roof over my head, while I work towards ‘the best seller.’ Having a job you like, is also a form of success. It’s so much nicer to work in a job you like, rather than one you hate. If you hate your job, changing your job, might be the first goal you set, towards becoming successful.

You see, success isn’t linear. It’s not stagnant and in one place, but covers many different aspects of one’s life. To be truly successful, I think you need to know you can cope with what life throws your way. To be successful, as I said, is about having a comfortable lifestyle, with good relationships, a job which you like (or a business, if that’s your dream). It’s about finding peace in the storm and remaining calm, no matter what. It’s about creativity, love, joy, passion and purpose. And if you can reach this point, you’re in the small minority. Not many people in the world, have this level of peace.

So how did I get here? Quite simply; I followed biblical principles. I went from complete looser, where I was so depressed because I couldn’t seem to make anything work, to so joyous, that even on a bad day, you couldn’t knock me off my perch, or steal that joy.

Every day, I feel truly grateful, for that second chance at life and I thank God, for His word, love, provision, help, passion and comfort. It didn’t happen any other way, but through reading my bible and believing what God’s word said, about me, about life, about love, blessings and protection. 

Does that mean everything I’ve tried has worked? No. failure is the step you take, before success. So, if you fail at something, don’t let it stop you. Tell yourself, you’ve just found one way not to do it and get back on the horse. Try, try, try again. Eventually you will win. 

There’s a lot of information about success, on the internet. Many different ways of getting there. And I think I tried most of them, before coming to the bible and seeing that particular one, work in my life. The bible is the success manual for living, although most of us don’t believe it. And I was one of those people. I didn’t believe the bible was for me, however, at the end of the line and with no where else to turn, I prayed and it literally turned my life around. 

You need a mental transformation and the bible will give you that. You need to know what to do, in different situations and the bible will give you that. The bible teaches you nothing is impossible and if you serve the God of the impossible, He will make everything possible in your life. 

If you have a dream, it’s most likely God given. Write your dream, for the bible tells us to write our dream and make it plain. Work out the steps it’s going to take, to turn your dream into your reality. Make sure the dream has purpose and passion, for if it doesn’t, you’ll quit during the rainy season, when the going gets tough.

You write your dream, so you can keep it before you and so you can see what you’re aiming for, because nothing changes until your mind changes. Change how you see yourself, change how you think about yourself and seeing your written goal, will give you the momentum to keep going, when you feel it’s too hard, too much, or too slow. 

You know, we’re not put on this earth, to work, pay our bills and die. We’re here to create, love and enjoy life. So, find your passion, write it down, look at it every day, work towards the steps, which will help you get there and never quit. 

You’re created to live with meaning and purpose, not drudgery and boredom. Discover your potential and build on it. If you don’t have a dream, pray that God gives you one. Think about what you love and enjoy doing. How can you turn that into your passion? Your passion doesn’t necessarily mean you have to make money, either. If you love it and love to do it, then go for it.

These small steps are half the fun, for it’s the journey you’re on, which brings fulfilment, not the destination. The destination is the reward once you arrive, so don’t stop in the arrival lounge. Set another goal and take another journey. 

I’ve had so many fun things happen to me along the way; things I never thought would, or could happen. I’ve spoken to trading guru’s – at least conversed by mail. I’ve spoken and sung, in public – something I never, ever thought I would do. I’ve even had a phone call from Arnold Schwarzenegger – Ok, it was a recorded message on my phone, but how many of us can say “Big Arnie called me!” It’s been a wild ride, with it’s ups and downs and I wouldn’t change it for the world.  And don’t rest on old stories of wild rides. Create new ones. 

I achieved my goal of running 10 k’s. I became a JP (Justice of the Peace), studied dressmaking, journalism and photography, as well as how to trade shares and have written many books and articles (and continue to do so). I failed at cycling from Bowral to Adelaide, (it wasn’t lack of preparedness, but lack of knowledge – see, I found the way not to do it next time). I’ve read my bible from cover to cover…four times – Ok, I get it. That’s not everyone’s idea of a goal. All I’m saying is, I’ve set and achieved a myriad of goals. Even before I finish one, I’m planning the next. 

I’ve always got new projects on the go. Sometimes they’re simple, like taking a bus ride, just for fun. Others are bigger, like renovating my home. Set your goal and work at it every day, and every day, you’ll make a little more progress to achieving it. So what if it takes five years? You’ll be five years older, in five years anyway.

Don’t let fear stop you. To quote the late Susan Jeffers; “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” 

Don’t wait! Make a start today! Live life to the fullest!