Today, I want to provide some practical suggestions for implementing a new view of success:
Imagine yourself as a competitor in the Olympic event known as the Pentathlon. It’s a 5-event competition and if you are going to win it you must excel in all 5 areas.
Let’s use that as an analogy for a new view of success. All too often, we define success around one arena: work. But, if we are to be truly successful we need to excel in all 5 arenas of this Pentathlon:
- Work
- Family
- Church
- Community
- Personal
One of my favorite contemporary authors is Chuck Swindoll. He is the Chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary and the Pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco. I heard an interview with him several years ago. The interviewer said “Chuck, when you started out did you ever think you would have had the impact that you have had?” Chuck’s response was “No. When I started out I had 3 goals: I wanted to be a good husband, I wanted to be a good daddy, and I wanted to teach God’s Word.”
Notice his sequencing and priorities: His job came third.
We need a more comprehensive view of success, and we need to re-orient our priorities.
Next, I think we should set being goals, not just doing goals or acquiring goals. Set goals about your character.
I also think we need to distinguish between success and the rewards of our success. Andy Stanley tells the story of the African-American who rose from bellboy to become the CEO of the Ritz-Carlton. Sometime after he became the CEO he was asked about his new-found success. He responded by saying “I was successful when I was a bellboy. I am now enjoying the rewards of my success.”
Success is more about who we are- our character, our integrity- than what we do for a living, the salary we earn, or the titles we have.
So, let me challenge you to reframe your view of success:
- Include God in your plans
- Develop a comprehensive perspective on what it means to be successful,
- Re-orient your priorities, and
- Don’t confuse success with the rewards of success.
1 comment:
Ugh - the Pentathlon!?! Can't I just throw the discus or something? Spinning around, throwing things - yep sounds like me on a daily basis! No seriously though this has been a struggle, no make that THE struggle I deal with the most. I work in a male dominated profession (civil engineering) that is not known for "thinking outside the box" when it comes to work/life balance. My priorities are set right but making my "time-spent" match them is a constant battle. I won't bore you with all of that but suffice to say that I say - Preach it Pops....and tell me more! Part 3??
Post a Comment