Prioritize Eternity: What will it matter 100 years from now? Let’s focus on this
world from God’s perspective. Will it matter that this person is healed, saved and
delivered from hell? I think so! Psalm 103:17… the mercy of the Lord is from
everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto
children's children… When we help children we impact the world for generations to
come.
Do all things with love: Whether you write a book, design a building, or build
a robot, do it with love. God loves you and has gifted you to bless others with
your abilities. When all is done in love, it works! When love is replaced by a
love of other things such as money and fame, it fails. If God is love, (1 John
4:7-8) then apart from God and His love, we are nothing! (John 15:5)
Keep an open heart and open mind. Be an overcomer, not an undercover
achiever. People who struggle in life tend to see barriers more than
possibilities. “I can’t do this because this has to be fixed, but we can’t fix that
because of we don’t have this…” In India, everyday problems seem
overwhelming to my first-world mind. Our Indian friends bobble their heads
and tell us, “No problem!” I have learned to trust their ability to overcome
amazing challenges. It may not work out exactly as I had planned, but it
usually works out in the end.
Use every circumstance to your advantage. When I have interviewed
“successful people” I found that they have typically had many struggles and
failures along the way. If not, they seem to feel ill at ease with their success.
Failure and rejection breed success when we use it as stepping stone upon
which we build and learn how to shine in the next stage. (Look up the
“failures” of Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver
and Michael Jordan’s rejection in high school.)
Do the next thing. When we concentrate only on the next thing before us, we
will not become overwhelmed by the enormity of the project. Life coaches and
health professionals are counseling people to stop multi-tasking. Not only
does it breed mediocrity, it dilutes our quality of life and drains relationships.
Many successful people will “fast” social media and entertainment until a job
is done.
Focus! If you want to be a person who finishes a project with excellence, you
will need to find a way to focus your mind and time. Creativity comes from a
mind that is immersed in the task. Many of us have great ideas, but the
person with focus will actually bring forth those ideas and cause a world-
changing result.
Seek a grateful attitude and contented heart while reaching for your
goals. This isn’t a contradiction in terms. As you reach for the next
achievement, stay grateful for the help you receive along the way. Be aware
that you may not be where you want to be, but you are not where you were!
“No excuse, Sir!” Excuses waste valuable time and energy. Therefore, Mike
was trained to say the words, “No excuse, Sir!” when he was confronted with
mistakes he made at the Air Force Academy. He said it was one of his
hardest lessons but it has stayed with him through his life and today he still
does not make excuses.
You be you! God loves you and made only one you. You are blessed with
your own personality, abilities, skills and talents. Comparing yourself with
others will only bring frustration and disappointment. Seek God first and find
what His word says about who you are and whose you are. Use that for your
reflection of yourself and your potential.
Never give up. When you are working at something that is hard, but
important, don’t give up on it. Don’t give up on yourself. You may have to take
a new direction, but don’t say, “I quit!” As a missionary I often feel pressure to
give in to the devil and give up my faith, hope and love, but I keep pressing
forward. We won’t give up or give in. Winston Churchill is famous for his
important address to Harrow School in 1941. This was the beginning of World
War II when England was facing a fight for their very lives against the Nazis:
"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or
small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honor and good
sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of
the enemy." – Never Give In. –