Modeling is the recipe for
achievement. Nearly everything that I want to do has already been done
by someone else, and they know the recipe for achievement by heart. I
need to learn their recipe and use it. Although shortcuts often derail
me on the track to my dreams, modeling is a shortcut that works. An
accurate model for achievement is the shortest route to my dreams. I
can prospect for years in the mountains of opportunity and never find a
gold nugget; a model tells me where to dig to uncover the mother lode.
Modeling starts me on the path of success using a plan that is proven to
work. But if I only copy the success of others, my success will be
fleeting, and eventually I will fail. Success is a moving target.
Modeling gets me in the front door and lets me hit the bull’s eye early
in my career. If I want to keep hitting it, my model for success will
have to change with the times. If I don’t keep moving forward, I will
soon be left behind.
Modeling doesn’t guarantee perpetual success. It gets me going in the
right direction, but it’s only a start. It places me on the frontier of
success, and if I want to live on that frontier, I must extend my model
into new territory consistent with what’s happening in the world.
When I hear
people talk about God's plan for their life, there's frequently a
feeling of apprehension embedded in the discussion. The unspoken fear
is that God wants to make you do something that you don't want to do,
and He has a plan to send you to some obscure part of the planet.
You're sure that if you follow His plan, you'll end up in Bongo Congo
doing things that you don't want to do. They regard God as the
Omnipresent Killjoy bent on ruining their life.
I'm not sure why people are so apprehensive. God never did anything to
make people feel that way. If you ever end up in Bongo Congo, it will
be because that's where you wanted to go. God can use you anywhere,
even in Bongo Congo.
God doesn't do bad things to people. People do bad things to people.
God has a dream for your life that is better than anything you can
imagine. And you don't have to twist God's arm to make that dream come
true. God wants it to happen even more than you do. God needs people
like you and me, and He needs all of your talents and abilities. You
don't need to grovel and scrape before God. You are one of his
children, and the reason He gave you those talents and abilities is
because He is going to use them to bless His world.
God's arms of love are your arms. God's heart of love is your heart.
God's voice of love is your voice. God songs of love are the songs that
you write and sing.
You don't need to worry about whether God has a plan for your life. All
you need to do is get in agreement with Him and start living the plan.
Jesus said seek and you will find, ask and it will be given to you,
knock and the door will be opened. God isn't holding anything back.
The problem isn't him. The problem is us.
God wants to use us in a big way. He wants us to live large in his
world. You only get one life, and God wants to make it into a great
one.
GOD'S RECIPE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
Two short passages of scripture contain the best
advice I know for people who want to get things right the first time and
to also finish well.
1. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your
own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will
direct your paths.
That means I don't have to figure everything out. I don't have to
lean on my own understanding. If I trust God, He will make things
work out. When I put my trust in him, He will direct my path.
I don't need to worry about the next step, because He is in control, and
He will show me where to go.
2. Set your mind on God's kingdom and his justice before
everything else, and all the rest will be added unto you as well.
That means I don't have to worry about having enough stuff in my life.
If I set my mind on God's kingdom of love, and if I let the power of his
love roll through my heart and mind, I will become a new person, and God
will supply everything I need.
What a great recipe. I trust in God, and He directs my path.
I focus my mind on God's kingdom of love and pass his love on to
other people, and He supplies all my needs.
