“Success is a journey, not a destination.”
–Arthur Ashe
Too often we think of success as the final, glorious outcome of endeavor. But achieving a goal requires the successful completion of many steps along the way, some of which are slippery, steep, and uneven. As time passes and difficulties mount, hopelessness can hold us back.
However, history is full of examples of people who persevered in spite of great difficulty, even failure. They didn’t allow tumbles and trip-ups to stop them. They maintained their optimism and effort toward the goal. Prime examples include: Bill Gates, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, and Winston Churchill.
“Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
–Winston Churchill
Another prime example is Thomas Edison. You might remember he tested over 6000 materials for the filament of his electric light bulb, and performed 1200 experiments before reaching ultimate success.
Once the invention had been released, a reporter asked Mr. Edison, “How did it feel to fail over a 1000 times?”
The inventor replied, “Young man, I did not fail 1000 times. I simply found 1000 ways how not to create a light bulb.”
Edison had learned to celebrate progress, not just the end result.
We, too, can learn to celebrate the steps toward our God-ordained, individual goals, not just the finish line.
And what are the steps worth celebrating? Here are a few:
- Making good choices, even in small things (Luke 16:10).
Doing little things with a strong desire to please God
makes them really great.”
–St Francis De Sales
- Maintaining a positive attitude (Colossians 3:23-24).
Feed your hope with positive expectancy.
Instead of wondering, Why isn’t God doing anything?
Ask, I wonder what God will do next?
- Exercising self-control (Galatians 5:23).
“You must do the very thing you think you cannot do.”
–Eleanor Roosevelt
- Applying wisdom (Proverbs 19:8).
“Wisdom is the means by which the godly can both
discern and carry out the will of God.”
–Douglas Moo
- Striving for humility (Proverbs 22:4).
“I believe that the first test of a truly great man is his humility…
Really great men have a curious feeling
that the greatness is not of them, but through them…
And [they] are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful.”
–John Ruskin
- Overcoming disappointment and failure (Psalm 37:23-24).
“Discouragement and failure
are two of the surest
stepping-stones to success.”
–Dale Carnegie
Too often we’re sidelined by our failures—even the little ones. We have to remember: success has nothing to do with immunity to failure.
“Success is getting up just one more time than you fall.”
–Oliver Goldsmith.
So! I’ve devised a little questionnaire, to help us appreciate our steps of success:
- Did we accomplish one task today, leading toward our God-ordained goals, even though we didn’t want to do it?
- Did we thank God for even one blessing today? Gratitude takes our minds off the way we’d like things to be and refocuses our attention on what God has already provided.
- Was there at least one small thing we chose not to do, in order to apply our time and energy on the goals set before us?
- Did we apply a bit of wisdom today that kept us on the path of success?
- Did we demonstrate genuine interest in someone else without even thinking about ourselves at all? That’s C.S. Lewis’s definition of true humility.
- Did we encourage ourselves with words or action, in order to press on?
Success is found on the path of most persistence.
So, let’s celebrate progress–those moments, those steps, that are leading us toward God’s call on each of our lives.
And if progress is slow, let’s not lose heart. Most progress is slow. God rarely rushes in with a delivery of instant success.
Let’s all take a deep breath and affirm: God isn’t finished with us yet. He’s still working, still guiding, still engineering circumstances for the personal goals he has ordained for each of us.
That doesn’t mean we sit back and wait for God to achieve our success for us. It’s a matter of balance. We must trust him as if everything depended on him, and work as if everything depended on us (Living Application Bible note, Proverbs 16:3).
(Photo credit: www.hikingtohealthy.com)
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What steps to success would you add?
And, how do you celebrate the successful steps along the way?
Please join the conversation below!
Beautifully said, Nancy. I love your list!
Thank you, Diana. So appreciate your visits and kind words!
This was an excellent post, full of great quotes and advice. I liked the questionnaire at the end, very helpful. Sometimes all we need is a shift in focus, thanks for writing this, the timing is perfect for me!!!
Praise God for his timing, Betty. I’m delighted to know this post arrived when it could best encourage you.
‘Celebrate progress.’ Amen!
Thank you, Jody. After reading your recent post, I’d say your celebration might include rest!
Once again you gave my heart a lift as you caused me to spend some time reflecting on the path set before me today. Thank you Nancy for your insight into God’s word then encouraging many to apply it daily.
My heart is lifted to know these words lifted your heart, Anita. It appears the encouragement is going both ways! Steve and I have been praying abundant blessings upon you and Gator. You’ve endured enough trouble for awhile!
The Thomas Edison story made me smile. When you read the email I sent to you, Nancy, you can see the perfect timing of this post. This post is a blessing to my heart…and encouragement to my soul as our family goes through a tough faith-testing time.
Praise God for his inspiration and timing, bringing you the words you most needed at a crucial time! I’ve emailed you back concerning your faith-test.
This is a ‘keeper” post – full of wisdom. I love the quotes intertwining with bible verse and your list of questions are great. What made me stop and ponder was this: Instead of wondering, “Why isn’t God doing anything?”
Ask, “I wonder what God will do next?”
good thoughts. Nancy “they” tell bloggers to take a really good post and turn it into an article or give away or freebie or something special for the reader. This post could fill that bill for you. excellent!
Thank you for your encouragement and advice, Jean. I just may try to turn this one into an article as you suggest!