Evaluating and Transforming Success
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Success is a slippery idea. I remember when I was in high school, a friend’s dad would say, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” That was a common idea of success. In Minnesota, where I spent my high school and college years, there is a lot of pressure to have a summer home on one of Minnesota’s 10,000+ lakes, with a pontoon boat, a speedboat, jet skis, snowmobiles, etc. Toys were a priority for many where I grew up.
Dan Pedersen, in his article, “Defining Success,” points out, “We tend to think of success in terms of what our tribe thinks it should be. But the tribe isn’t always right.” Further, your tribe often changes over time. If you spend your life acquiring toys and, in retirement, come to realize that true success lies in philanthropy and mission, it will feel as if the bulk of your life was wasted.
Finding your success requires internal intelligence. Following the crowd, or “the tribe,” will most likely leave you empty and disgruntled. Thousands of years later, Socrates’s words remain true: “Know Thyself.” Pedersen continues, “Once you remove what the tribe thinks, it changes everything. Success, for you, will no longer be defined by what other people are going to think of you.” Defining success without impressing the tribe is better said than done. It requires a process of thinking and evaluating what is essential to you and vital to God. It isn’t easy to buck society’s values at any given moment.
Today, pray for the divine wisdom to know what is worthy of our time, talent, finances, and our worship. Ask God to help see beyond leisure and popularity. Ask God to give you the confidence and wisdom to see beyond the expectations of others and find lasting success that is real and meaningful to you for the rest of your life, and for all eternity. Then, go live it! Live it with care, love, and courage!
