The Practice of Success

We have been looking at 7 principles of success. The third principle is practice- the actual work and initiative toward success. God made a promise to Joshua in 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 success.”  The operative word in this verse is “do”. Sooner or later you have to take action to succeed.
There are 4 steps to moving ahead and getting things done:
1) Goal setting- “a goal is a dream with a deadline.’
     Your goal or goals should flow out of God purpose for your life.  It is a declaration of where      God wants you to go next. Without a target, any shot can be justified as a good shot. Many avoid setting goals. Why? It often is a fear of failure. Others do not want the pressure of accountability. For some it’s a lack of faith.
J.C. Penny once said “ Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I will show you someone who will make history,. Give me a man without a goal and I will show you a stock clerk.” I recently read that only 5% of Americans set goals and they are the 5% highest paid people in America.
Guidelines for goals? One Pastor once taught me to think of the acrostic- S.M.A. R. T.
              Specific
              Motivational
              Attainable
              Relevant (to your purpose in life)
              Trackable
The next steps;
2) Action Plans -write down the steps you need to take to reach the goal. Include timelines.
3) Hard work – “ Work is the price we pay on the road to success.” Nothing really replaces hard work. Most people believe they are working hard. Ask someone who cares about you for input and accountability for the hours you put into the job. Measure what you are accomplishing.
4) Discipline – This is the biggest obstacle to success. Aristotle said. “Self control is the hardest victory.” We must discipline our time as well as our emotions (stay under control).
All the purpose and planning in the world is a dead end unless someone does the work. Few people are total failures. However those who fail to take action mostly end up just being  average. People who died with the music still inside them.