This morning I retweeted “one must define their personal definition of success or chances are they will succeed at the wrong thing.” I regret that I forgot who said it because it is a powerful statement.  As I reflected on this it resonated in the deepest part of my heart.

Life is so short. People of all ages die. And I think it tragic that a person would leave this earth full of regrets. Especially when we don’t have to. Whether you are a pastor, a leader in ministry or a housewife it would be easy to succeed at the wrong thing. And so possible to succeed at the right thing.

Why would anyone choose to live without the PASSION, VISION and DREAMS that God has for us? I think we do this by default. By being passive and not understanding what God desires to give us. A life beyond our wildest dreams.

How would anyone succeed at the wrong thing? Here are 6 ways I thought about about 5 AM this morning:

1. Never define your personal definition of success. Just go through the motions and don’t think about what you believe God wants you to be in this life. And before you know it life will pass you by.

2.  Don’t live your priorities. Let other people control your schedule.

3.  Be a people pleaser. Care more about what makes people happy or how you can please them vs. pleasing God.

4.  Don’t spend daily time in God’s Word. Scripture tells us the His Word is a light unto our path. The Bible tells us what success is. God speaks to us through his word if we will spend quality time with Him and listen. Faith comes from the Word of God. If you spend time in Scripture you might trust God for some huge things.

5. Don’t Pray. Prayer unleashes the power of His Holy Spirit to do more than we could dream or hope for. Without prayer we will lack faith and give up.

6. Don’t deal with sin. Maturity is not someone who never sins but someone who deals throughly with it and turns away from it. Don’t confess or repent. Sin will keep you in bondage to the one who desires to kill, steal and destroy.  If we don’t deal with sin we will sabotage ourselves.

7. Don’t learn from others. Don’t seek a mentor and feel like you know it all. Whatever it is you desire to succeed at, stay away from people who are experiencing it. If success for you is being a godly spouse, don’t spend time with couples who have a godly marriage. If success for you is being a godly parent, don’t spend time with those who are godly parents. If you desire to be in full time ministry, don’t go to your pastor and ask for guidance. Let the years pass you by and forget all about that call on your life. If you desire to grow a church, don’t spend time learning from those who have and are growing a church. If you want to grow as an effective leader, by all means don’t have a growth plan. And never ask someone for feedback on the areas in life where you desire success.

I hope you do succeed at the right thing.