Five Steps Toward Success

I have an exciting opportunity this week. The world of entertainment is filled with exciting opportunities. This one, like most of them, is out of my control. Which has me pondering...

How much control do we really have over our own successes? How does one triumph in life?

We can set goals. We can do the work. We have natural strengths or may be born into a family of privilege, but that's still not a guarantee.

There are no formulas. Everyone's path is unique. And whether we ever arrive at our intended destination or not, I believe a triumphant journey can be broken down into the five following steps.

Manitou Incline has double the amount of stairs of the Eiffel Tower. It's also a setting in my next novel.

Talent

Talent is a starting place. What are you good at? Where do you excel? It's likely going to fit with what you enjoy and where you find fulfillment. If you start with an area where you're not naturally gifted, you can work hard to improve but possibly only attain an average skill level. Put that same effort into an area where you rank above average, and you'll find yourself rising to the top. You will have more to offer.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others. -I Peter 4:10

Training

If you don't train, you won't improve your talent. Don't be arrogant or take your natural abilities for granted. You have room for growth, and this is the biggest factor in doing your best. Take a step on the road to success where you have control. Sign up for classes. Find a mentor. Ask for feedback. Study. Learn. Become an expert.

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. -Proverbs 22:29

Tenacity

Tenacity is the other area you control and can take you even farther. In a world of instant gratification, we often expect a reward to follow immediately after our hard work. When it doesn't, we are tempted to quit. Only those who push through all their challenges will reach the summit. The good thing is that once you make it to your first mountaintop experience, you'll be hooked, thus turning tenacity into a habit. You don't know what you can do until you do it. So don't stop until its done.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -Galatians 6:9

Timing

Timing isn't about us. It's more about luck. About the stars aligning. About being the needed puzzle piece in someone else's puzzle. I've met picture book authors who only sold their manuscript because the publisher had an illustrator who loved drawing cows, and I met the keyboard player for the Newsboys right after he was picked up out of college at the age of 19 because they had an opening. You just never know, and that's the beauty of the unexpected.

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven. -Ecclesiastes 3:1

Trust

Trusting God goes beyond timing. Because perhaps bad timing is actually God's protection. He knows all the moving parts. He knows the future. He knows men's minds. What we are praying for might not be what we need. God's "no" could very well be the most loving answer. Or maybe it's our chance to choose the Dream Giver over the dream. I do believe that when we honor Him above our heart's desire, God gives us an even bigger dream in return. Every good gift is from above, so let us trust God to give it to us.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28

Olympic athletes train here for a reason.

I have hope for this week's opportunity. If it falls through, I have hope for the next. I'll keep taking these steps like they're on a stair climber in the gym. I'm in training for triumph.

What are you training for?