I read this today on Mark Battersons blog and it really spoke to me. Here is what he said:
Thought I’d share a few of my personal definitions of success. It’s important to define success in biblical and personal ways. You need to know what you’re aiming at or you will succeed at the wrong thing.
First of all, success is maximizing your God given potential. Success is synonymous with stewardship.
A second definition is this: doing the best you can with what you have where you are. Success is not circumstantial. Some of the most successful people are those in the worst of circumstances, but they make the most of them. That’s success.
Here’s a third definition: the people who know you the best respect you the most. We care way too much about what strangers think of us, but they won’t be the ones at our graveside. I want my wife and my kids to respect me the most.
Here’s a fourth and newest definition: success is trying until the day you die. I think most of us give up on our dreams way too easily and way too quickly. We stop trying. But if you’re still trying you’re succeeding!
One key to success is not worrying about the outcome. Winning or losing isn’t the issue. Trying is winning! That is what I told Parker when he decided to run for class president. That is the lesson I learned at our triathlon this weekend. That is what I’ve learned as a church planter. The measure of success is this: how hard did you try?
If you pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you you cannot fail.
