Success factors

I read the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell recently which looks into the behind-the-scene stories of successful people such as Bill Gates and Bill Joy.  Once you know their stories, you would recognise that they are not outliers or one in a hundred kind of occurrence.  But rather they are those who had been given opportunities and they "strike while the iron is hot".  It was also a combination of history, community and legacy as well.   It is an interesting read and I would recommend that you read it if you have not already done so.

There is a chapter on the 10,000 hour rule whereby he explored those who had the opportunity to hone their talent or craft by being at the right place and the right time.  The amount of time that Bill Gates and the Beatles were able to build up their computer knowledge and singing talent respectively totaled more than 10,000 hour before the age of 20.  And when they were at the prime of their life, they stood out and became famous.  This speaks, of course, about hard work and our willingness to hone our talent/skill when given the opportunity to do so.  Even though work may be hard but if it's accompanied by a sense of purpose (meaning) and satisfaction, the rewards will be great. 

The Bible mentions that whatever a man sows that he shall reap (Gal 6:7).  If we are prepared to cultivate the value of hard work in our lives and in the lives of our children, we shall certainly reap success, at least in the material sense.   The wise man in Proverbs made a number of proclamations concerning the diligent and lazy person:

"He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich."  Pr 10:4 (NKJV)

"The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to forced labor."  Pr 12:24 (NKJV)

"The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich."  Pr 13:4 (NKJV)

Inasmuch as we put in effort in our study or career/business, likewise, we need to put in effort in our daily Word intake.  Paul exhorted Timothy (and us) to "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." (2 Tim 2:15 NASB). The Word of God is able to guide us in our life's journey and our success in this life (and the life to come) is dependent on us meditating on Sciptures.  And mind you, the success God has for us is not necessary in dollars and cents.  It could be peace of mind, divine health and strength, and bringing people into the kingdom of God.

'This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."  Josh 1:8 (NASB)

May we learn to walk in the success and prosperity of God in 2013.