Hi beautiful people,
The other day I was in a meeting and the question, “What is success?” was asked. Several persons answered, “reaching a goal” and “accomplishing something.” I remembered one answer in particular, “getting to my goals without much opposition or effort.” That was wishful thinking, because we know that to reach any significant goal in life is an uphill climb, ask anyone who is a true success, I thought.
What is success?
A quick search on the internet yielded a few definitions;
- it is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose
- The attainment of fame, wealth, or social status.
- A person or thing that achieves desired aims or attains fame, wealth, etc.
In today’s Western culture, most people confuse success with material possessions or societal validation. However, the dissatisfaction among many who possess riches or fame and the unhappiness of some celebrities pose a paradox – is material accumulation or worldly accomplishment true success?
What does the Bible say about success?
As you should know by now, I am a person of faith (it is one of my strengths), so I always look to the Bible for answers. The Bible has much to say about success, one verse in particular sticks out. Joshua 1:8:
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
It tells us how to have good success, which implies that we can have bad success. To obtain good success we need do what the Lord has commanded us. The root of every command is to love one another, as detailed in John 13:34.
But what does it mean to love one another practically?
Loving one another means using the gifts (strengths), passions, personality and natural abilities that God gave us in addition to the skills and experiences (our structure or shape) to serve others. In other words, having good success is living out our purpose – how we function according to our structure.
How to find purpose, fulfillment or true success?
To find true meaning for our lives we need to:
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Matthew 6:33
Life will often present choices; one path might promise immediate gains, sometimes comprising your core values (do you know your core values?), yet the other leads to profound meaning and fulfillment but may take a longer time. Jesus says narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matt 7:13-14). The word “find” suggests that you need to seek it out. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
Note well, purpose is not about obtaining money. Many persons are living out or have lived a purposeful life without much material wealth or money. On the other hand, we may also live out our purpose and gain much wealth for the purpose of advancing the kingdom of God.
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24
It comes down to knowing and stewarding well what God has given us (all good gifts are from God).
Does following your dreams lead you to your purpose or give you true success?
There is a reason the world tells us not to follow our dreams. Dreams are connected to our hearts and souls. This is why, if we seek God with all our hearts, we will find Him along with the dreams and our purpose that He placed there.
However, a hardened heart, molded by mostly negative experiences and our understanding of the world, may lead us to pursue shallow aspirations dictated by societal norms, leaving us unfulfilled and empty.
Fulfilling our God-given dreams does lead us to our purpose, see my book Fulfill the Dream: Life Lessons from Pursuing a PhD to learn how to identify your God-given dreams and obtain them.
How to be successful and live a fulfilled life?
Would accomplishing all your dreams seem like success or having a fulfilled life? Believe it, because that is what happens when you continuously seek God and obey his commands…and just as the scriptures say…all these things (including your dreams) will be added unto you.
If you want to understand your structure, fulfill your God-given dreams and live out your purpose, sign up for a consultation with me, Sanchia, on my website so we can begin this journey together.