Three Wrong Areas From Which To Seek Success

What determines your success? What in your life right now is the single, most important determining factor in your satisfaction? You have something that consumes your mind, every time you have a free moment. What if your idea of success is not really success at all. What if I told you that success is not characterized by the extraordinary but rather by the seemingly normal and mundane. Too often, you and I make the mistake of seeking success in the wrong areas.

Because we are too busy chasing success, we miss the opportunities right in front of us – to help others in their dreams, goals and aspirations. When you can liberate yourself from the idea of success that culture provides, it eliminates you stressing out about things that are out of your control.

I believe that Jesus is ultimately more interested in our faithfulness, rather than in our excellence.

Faithfulness is not as exciting, but it is much more lasting.

I love the parable of the talents. Especially when the master says to the servant the following:

Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master (Matt. 25:21).

Here are three wrong areas from which to seek success from:

1. Acceptance From Other People. The more idea driven you are, the more people will disagree with you.

People’s opinions are a part of your life, but they should not define your life.

If you do not want to get criticized for anything, then don’t do anything. But, I am sure that even for that, you will be criticized. Life is not a sprint, but a marathon. Do what you love and love what you do. Perfect your craft not so that people will accept it but that you enjoy the process of it. Keep doing what you are good at, because there is a group of people out there, with which your content will resonate. I know that one critic can wipe out one hundred people who encouraged you. But do not give them that privilege.

Critics love for you to bite upon their criticism. Declare a hunger strike. When famine strikes, there is nothing for the critics to eat. The problem is solved.

2. Your Career.

Some of us don’t need a better job. We just need to do our current job, better.

When I place my happiness and feeling of satisfaction in my career, it has the incredible ability to fail me. So, instead of seeking success from my job or vocation, I seek to serve the people who God has placed in front of me, at my current job. How can I personally wow the individual who I am helping today?

It is not about furthering my success but rather serving the people in my life. My job then becomes not a daily grind but rather a daily journey where I am a missionary, seeking to help and heal those in need.

3. Your Influence. No matter how much influence you have over a group of people, someone else will have more. But this is ok. If you have a chance in life to influence at least a few people, you are well on your way to leaving a lasting legacy. It takes you being interested in one person to change a life and change a legacy.

At the end of your life, it won’t matter how many followers you had, how many times you were re-tweeted, how many people liked your post or what your social proof was. But what will matter is the amount of people upon which you made an impact.

If even a handful of people can say that you have made a positive impact in their life, you are on point in your life mission.

The world won’t be changed by you over night. But it will be impacted by you over consistency. Even if people might not see your faithfulness, God does. And this is all that matters.

Question: What can you do right now to impact the lives of the people around you? How can you stop crippling your faithfulness by seeking success in the wrong areas?