Text: This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Josh 1:8 NKJV).
To meditate is to think, and here we see a direct link between thinking and success.)
Definition:
Out of the several available definitions of success, the following best explains our approach to the topic.
Success is: ‘the progressive realization of a pre-determined goal’, or ‘becoming what it is you want to be.’
Being able to establish a pre-determined goal requires a degree of original thinking that is not only required but a prerequisite for success but which, unfortunately, many are either not prepared or equipped for. But that can change by a conscious determination.
Why do some people succeed in life while others fail? The reason is because of how they think and what they think about. (Recall our discussion on how the mind works in the lecture on the mind) We will now apply that knowledge to explain why some succeed while others fail.
People become what they think about all the time because that is the way the mind is programmed to work. Just as the soil doesn’t care what kind of seed is planted in it, the mind doesn’t care about the kind of thought planted in its subconscious. And as a seed produces fruits after its kind, so the mind converts thoughts into their equivalent physical realities. Thus, persistent thoughts of poverty result in a physical state of poverty while persistent thoughts of affluence and wealth lead to affluence and wealth. This is not an excuse for daydreaming and indolence.
As stated earlier, productive thinking is hard work that the lazy are incapable of.
One who can think productively must inherently be able to follow up with actions that inevitably lead to success. Remember that productive thinking is different from wishful thinking, which cannot lead to success.
Two Important Laws:
The philosophy of success is governed by many laws, but we shall consider just two that are relevant to the approach of this paper.
The first is the Law of Transmutation of Desires, which converts desires into physical manifestations. This law operates in the plant and animal kingdoms.
Everybody is born with a desire to succeed the same way a seed desires to germinate and fruit with no human interference. This same law is why the chicken desires to lay eggs, and the developed egg desiring to exit its shell chick pecks its way out to continue the cycle of chicken life.
The second is the Law of Becoming, which says that people become what they think about all the time. This law puts you in total control of your life by what you think. If you want to be successful, then think of success all the time. See yourself as successful and act successful. Reject failure and cancel it in your thought any time the thought of failure crosses your mind, as it will do from time to time.
Case Study:
The Case of the 100 Classmates.
The outcome of this survey illustrates the philosophy of success from the viewpoint of this paper. Though the survey was conducted nearly a hundred years ago, its conclusions are as accurate and relevant today as they were then, and you can easily confirm this from the social media platforms of your secondary school or college classmates. Check the life situation of your mates and compare it with the survey.
The survey tracked the progress of 100 classmates from age 25 until they retired at age 65, which was the retirement age in the country of a survey at the time. Here is what the survey found:
Out of 100, only one had become very rich, four were financially well off, 41 could get by, while 54 needed some help from the government, family, friends, or some other sources.
Compare this result with what was obtained so far within your secondary school or college classmates (if you are old enough), and if not observe the trend at least.
You can see how closely it trends towards the result of the survey.
Let us consider some relevant questions.
Why did so many fail then, and continue to fail today?
What happened to the visions/dreams/goals they had at age 25?
What is responsible for the gap between what they planned and where they ended up forty years later at age 65 since had a goal at 25?
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you make a success of your own life so that you do not end up as the 54%. With some diligence on your part, you can catapult yourself to the top 5%. While it is not easy, with a positive mentality, determination, and persistence, you can make it to the top 5%. We shall now answer the questions.
The reason so many failed (then and now) was they failed to think. When people do not think, they end up doing the bidding of those who think, and those who think do so for their interests and benefits only, and those interests differ widely. Everyone thinks in their best interest, and since no one can think for the other, those who do not think, lose out. It is like their interest does not matter.
Why do people fail to think? The answer is simple. Thinking is hard work and requires courage, focus, and determination, which those who don’t think lack. They let others think for them while they simply conform. It is so much easier to conform than to think. No wonder Paul admonishes us against conformity, rather than to be transformed by renewing our minds: which we do through purposeful thinking. (Romans 12:2)
What happened to the visions/goals they had at age 25? The answer is that they either did not define their goals clearly enough, they lost track of all or some of the goals along the way or they became lax and simply failed to pursue their visions.
Why is there such a gap between what they aimed at, and where they ended up 40 years later, (assuming they had a goal that they pursued)? The reason for the gap is that they did not define what they meant by success.
Hindrances To Success
The #1 enemy of success is the absence of a goal, which in turn is a result of not thinking. The #2 enemy is conformity, which can be defined as thinking and acting like everyone else without knowing why. Conformers simply follow the crowd without knowing or asking where the crowd is headed. Imagine going to the motor park or airport without a destination in mind and ready to board the vehicle with the greatest number of passengers lining up to board it. He will either not travel at all or end up at the wrong destination.
Why do people conform? Many do not even know why. Studies have shown a trait that is common to most conformers. They believe that their lives are shaped by external forces, real or imagined, like witches and wizards, ‘enemies,’ the devil, the government, etc.
However, the most common culprit of all is ‘Luck.’ Such people are often referred to as ‘outer-directed.’ Outer-directed people are doomed to failure because they never take responsibility for their lives. They blame their failure on others, which precludes them from being realistic about the causes of their failure. Someone had said that no one is a failure until s/he blames others for it. Failure, they say, is a temporary setback until you blame someone else.
Who, Then Is a Success?
Based on our definition of success, success has attained his/her pre-determined goal or is well on the way to doing so. The following therefore can be considered a success regardless of how others assess them.
The schoolteacher is happy teaching because that is what s/he pre-determined to be.
The auto spare parts trader along the main street is making enough sales and is happy because that is what s/he planned to do since childhood. The University professor is happy teaching his specialty because that is what he pre-determined to become. Any other number of people who have become whatever they pre-determined to be is a success and being a success has little to do with the gross income.
Lessons from U.S hospital’s experience: Being a success is not necessarily a function of income.
Key to Success
Desire is the starting point and the master key of every success story because it gives your mind and God a tangible objective to work on. Desire is also often referred to in full as ‘Definite Main Aim (DMA) or Definite Main Goal (DMG).
It is important to understand that your desire may also be the voice of God directing you towards the destiny prepared for you in the spiritual realm and waiting for you to actualize in the physical. destiny He prepared and perfected in the spiritual realm for you. You are to make it real in the physical.
This appears to be the message of scripture that states: ‘for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.’ Phil. 2:13. You should therefore pay attention to your strong desires and evaluate them in the light of the Word of God and your God-given talent. You will do well to pursue such a desire despite what your senses may be telling you to the contrary