Everyone wants to be successful. How you define success is up to you, but to all of us, we have an idea of what successful is to us. For one person it may be to sit at home and not have to work, for another they may want to have a job where they work 60 hours a week. Success is what it is to the individual. I get that.
Here's the truth though- next to no one would say that they want to be financially destitute, in bad health, spiritually dead, and to have a life of meaningless relationships. Most people want some measure of achievement in those areas. Yes, the level of success may be different, but everyone wants it. Or at least in my experience most of the people I meet want to achieve in those areas.
Would you like to not have a financial life that isn't month to month? To be able to minimize your health risks by staying physically fit? To be able to connect with God on a deeper level and have relationships with those around you that are robust and passionate? I hope the answer is yes.
How to do it? Here's the word- Discipline. Its not a fun word, but its an important one. It is impossible to be successful without discipline.
What is my working definition of discipline? A constant attention to the things that matter most in my life.
For me I find that when I neglect the things that are most important in my life, they do not become better, they become worse. When I pay attention to them, and give them my energy, they improve and grow.
Its like my lawn- its not a great lawn- because I don't pay close attention to it. I water it periodically, but I don't focus on it. I don't care that much about my lawn.
Where's this coming from? I'm a pastor and I spend time with alot of people who tell me they want things in their life, but wanting it and having the discipline to get it is two totally seperate things.
Here's the deal- you may have an area of your life that you feel is not where you want it to be, so I ask you- are you giving it the attention it needs to be successful? Are you making the main things the main things or are you allowing the little things of your life to consume you in such a way that you've lost focus?
Here's the nugget for the day- Sit down. Today, write out a few things that are the most important to you in your life and then look at your schedule and see if your schedule fits in with your priorities. You may find that you are spending too much time on stuff that doesn't matter and in the process realize that you may be neglecting the areas that are most important.
be blessed
matt
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