Knowing God: Could it be the secret to success?

Most people want to be successful at something. I looked at the bookstore yesterday and found books on success formulas for work, marriage, raising children, sports, physical training and gaining wealth. And there are podcasts, conferences, blogs, social media and videos. Many of the training books and other sources focus in some way on things like money, work and investments of time or money. Most of the truly successful people who I have known have not limited themselves to investments, money and work. They look deeper at things that last.

To be successful, they needed to have vision for achieving the impossible or improbable. It is how we dream, think and do. If I want to be a great grandfather, I need to vision and emulate other grandfathers who I think are great grandfathers. Since I didn’t have any grandfathers to emulate, this was a bit difficult for me. But fortunately, my sister and her husband were 16 years older than me, so they had grandchildren well before me and I got to see how great they were. When I wanted to be the leader of the largest regulatory association in my profession, I spent time studying how others who preceded me went about the chairmanship. I spent time seeing myself in that position and thinking about what direction the organization should go. Whatever our goals are, we need to have a vision to achieve it. And to get that vision we need to dream. Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity changed the world, and it came from a dream. Larry Page dreamt of Google. Stephanie Meyer, author of Twilight, had an idea of a vampire come to her in a dream. The Beatles song "Yesterday" came to Paul McCartney in a dream. Dreaming activates seeing and thinking beyond the current moment. But dreamers also include moms, dads, artists, teachers, preachers and people with varied backgrounds and education.

When we take away all the material world around us, what is essential to our journey? Scripture tells us that it is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When you think about it, these are the things that enrich our life and lead to a satisfying career achievement and a meaningful relationship. These more spiritual things lead us to optimally use our knowledge and abilities. Unlike the pervasive thought in the world today, success is not driven by force or manipulation. It is not built by deceit. It is not even driven by money. It is driven by mental and spirit-driven traits. A few years ago, I saw the movie Unbroken. It was about a man named Louis Zamperini. He was a troubled teen who was talked into running by his older brother. He set a national college record for the mile which stood for 15 years. He competed in the 1936 Olympics. But what he is best known for was his story of survival during World War II. When he was shot down by the enemy, he survived 47 days on a rubber raft in the Pacific Ocean. He spent two years in a Japanese torture camp. After his release, he suffered depression leading to alcoholism.

After attending a crusade led by Billy Graham, he turned his life around and began touring the country as a motivational speaker. In fact, at age 94 he was still lecturing throughout the country about resilience and determination. So, vision, determination and one more ingredient leads us to success. It is a lifestyle choice: to live with grit.

We need to live with joy, confronting any crisis that comes along with confidence. It is not a function of brain power. It is not a function of physicality. It is a function of our excitement for life itself through all the ups and downs. Through all the peaks and valleys. It is a feeling that as soon as your feet hit the floor in the morning, you are ready to make the day the best day that you can for yourself and others. But how do you do that? Do you just turn on a great attitude no matter what is going on around you? Increasingly, I have found that the most successful people that I work with worship God.

When we worship God, we learn to praise God even in the middle of pain and mystery. Abel brought his worship to God by faith and God honored him for it. His example still speaks to us today. When we worship, we are lifting our hearts and voices to One who is greater than our problems, higher than our hurts and more eternal than any burden we may have in this world. Worshipping lifts us above the miry clay. It prepares us for a good day or a bad day, either way.

So here is my suggestion: When we get up each day let’s say, “This is the day that the Lord has made, let’s rejoice and be glad in it." And let’s praise God throughout the day.

Success begins with dreaming and seeing. It is based on a lifestyle that is based on joy in all circumstances which is possible because of our spiritual underpinnings. Success demands intentional pursuit of our dreams with resilience and determination. But what makes it all fit together is our faith in God.