-Are you where you want to be and are you doing what you believe God created you to do in life?

-Have you taken time to seriously pray and reflect on your goals and what they need to be?

-When will you take the time to write down your goals for clarity and accountability?

-What measurable action have you taken that moves you away from where you are and toward the goals God has given you?

Each one of us have a definition of success.  A picture of what we think success looks like and feels like.  The problem with most of our definitions, is that we have borrowed them from someone else, they are not really our own!  We need to take some time to think about what it means for us to be happy, fulfilled and successful!  What does it mean for you?  What does it look like?  What does it feel like?  Take a few moments to fill in the following statements:

*I experience fulfillment, happiness and success in my life when…

*I experience fulfillment, happiness and success in my family when…

*I experience fulfillment, happiness and success in my job or ministry when…

Success and failure are not accidents, they are consequences!  When you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!  When you take the time to put together a plan for your life and work that plan, you will experience some success!  God has given us all that we need -what we do with it – is our choice and will determine our judgment!

Do you ever just stop and take the time to think about what it would take to really make you happy?  Most of us are not really that far off from happiness!  We just need to take the time to figure out what it is that would get us there.  Once we get this figured out – it is usually just a few simple adjustments in our living that carry us to the place that our Creator created us for.  I think that most of us think about thinking about what would make us happy.  I think most of think about we could and should do something about it, but that is just about as far as most of us ever get – we think about it!

Stop thinking and start answering the question:  What do you want?  What is it going to take to get you to that special place that God has created for you?  Once you answer the question – get busy chasing down and catching whatever it is!

Most people do not think about service when they think about success!  But success comes best and fastest when we learn to serve!  Service is the best conduit that I know of to usher success into our lives!  Success Occurs When We Give Our Maximum Service To God!  We need to understand that success is okay.  Success is not a bad thing and we don’t need to be scared of it!  Success does not happen by accident and no one will force it upon you.  Success is voluntary and each of us have been given permission by our Creator to be successful!

Success is about more than obedience and good living.  Success is about an abundant life that flows out of our service to others!  It is about having an intentional approach to life that ensures that we are faithful stewards of the gifts and talents that God has given us!  To be faithful stewards our actions need to be deliberate, measurable, purposeful, prayerful and planned!

Successful people do not live life by accident.  They live life deliberately – making decisions based on the projected outcome!  Figure out your outcome and pursue it deliberately every moment of every day!  Successful people have learned to measure their progress or lack of progress.  Always know where you are and where you are going!  Successful people live on purpose for a purpose.  Live life according to God’s plan and you will never be disappointed!  Successful people realize that they can’t do it by themselves and they were never created to try!  Talk to God about what is going on and were you are going!  Successful people plan their work and work their plan!  If you fail to plan, then you can plan to fail!

When you serve God – you are really serving yourself and your best interest – so what have you done for God lately?