Seven Areas of Success

Success goes well beyond advancing a business or career and making lots of money. Tabloids and internet sites are full of people who have both and are famously troubled.

Before going any further, consider this: How would your life change if you die to the dream of being a success and live to the dream of being a blessing?

Let that thought guide you as you consider the whole idea of success–especially as it relates to living by God’s Word and Spirit. Here I’ll consider seven areas of success that are unified as whole by clearly identifying and applying your

core values.
sense of purpose in life.
eternal perspectives.
resulting motives.

Start by identifying, expressing, and applying these things.

Take as much time as you need to do this before going on to the seven areas. (They won’t go away.) It’s best to get the beginning things right for the long term because they are the foundation for everything that follows. And you can always adjust things later on.

The best questions are the ones you naturally ask yourself. But to help out, here are questions that may help to stimulate your thinking in the following areas.

Questions for identifying my core values:

What is my most deeply held belief? Or what is more important to me than anything else?

If my life were in some way devastated, what would be the most important thing to hold on to?

What would be the second-most important thing to hold on to?

Questions for identifying my sense of purpose in life:

What kind of work or activity feels the most worthwhile to me?

Given who I am and am able to do, how would I most want to impact the world or others?

How else would I like to impact the world or others?

Questions for identifying my eternal perspectives:

How would I describe the unseen world or my relationship with God?

What will happen to me after I die?

What kind of difference does that make a difference in how I live now?

Questions for identifying my motives:

Does it matter to me how much money I make?

Is there something more important to me than money or achievement?

What is more important to me: enjoyment or discipline?

———

Questions for identifying my vision for life:

If I had the resources to pursue any vocation I desired, what would it be?

What is more important to me: comfort and security versus helping others?

What do I hope to accomplish before I die?

———

In all these areas the key is to 1) make right choices, 2) develop specific, identifiable, simple habits, and 3) consistently keep doing them. They’re easy to do—but also easy not to do.

And allow yourself to add to, or change, your goals and habits as you grow.

And remember: How would your life change if you die to the dream of being a success and live to the dream of being a blessing?

(Hint: As you live to be a blessing, success naturally follows.)

1. Health

Your greatest earthly asset is your health. With it, you can lose everything else and still rise back up and prosper in every way. Without it, you can have everything but not be able to use it or enjoy it. When you’re in good physical shape at any age, but especially in middle to old age, you think more clearly, accomplish more, and feel better about everything.

Question for identifying my Health goal:

What does success look like for this goal? Concretely describe it.

Question for identifying my Health habit:

Describe and put into writing one new habit I can and will consistently begin doing. Simple, small, measurable—that I want to, not have to, do.

My goal for my health: ______________________________________

My habit(s) to make that a reality: ______________________________________

2. Happiness of the Heart

Eliminate the lie from your mind that success leads to happiness. It doesn’t. No matter how much you achieve or gain, with superficial thinking you’ll find that it’s not enough, and with deeper thinking you’ll find that it’s empty. The truth is that happiness leads to success. This is because when we choose (and we must consciously choose) to be happy, to be joyful, to be grateful, we nurture a mindset and attitude that lifts, energizes, and moves us to do the things that make us successful in what we pursue. Three key areas: Your attitude; specific actions with positive impact; where you invest your time and energy.

Question for identifying my Happiness goal:

What does success look like for this goal? Concretely describe it.

Question for identifying my Happiness habit:

Describe and put into writing one new habit I can and will consistently begin doing. Simple, small, measurable—that I want to, not have to, do.

My goal for my happiness: ______________________________________

My habit(s) to make that a reality: ______________________________________

3. Relationships

Note to people who strive for success: No matter how great your accomplishments, your sense of meaning in life comes through other people. Whether with family, friends, colleagues, or your community, relationships are built up or torn down through an endless number of small things done day by day over a long time.

Question for identifying my Relationships goal:

What does success look like for this goal? Concretely describe it.

Question for identifying my Relationships habit:

Describe and put into writing one new habit I can and will consistently begin doing. Simple, small, measurable—that I want to, not have to, do.

My goal for my relationships: ______________________________________

My habit(s) to make that a reality: ______________________________________

4. Personal Development

Your outward success or blessing will not for very long exceed your personal development. If who you are as a person does not equal or exceed what you have, what you have—in varying degrees with these areas of success—will eventually fall back down to who you are. The best investments you ever make are in your personal development—especially spirituality and character. Who has God created you to be? Pursue that with all you’ve got.

Question for identifying my Personal Development goal:

What does success look like for this goal? Concretely describe it.

Question for identifying my Personal Development habit:

Describe and put into writing one new habit I can and will consistently begin doing. Simple, small, measurable—that I want to, not have to, do.

My goal for my personal development: ______________________________________

My habit(s) to make that a reality: ______________________________________

5. Finances

Regardless of your income level, you can attain some degree of financial stability and prosperity. Four keys: 1) Get out of debt—otherwise you spend your life making yourself poor and banks rich. 2) Curb your spending and live below—not at, below—your means (the level of your income). 3) Strive to save or invest 10 percent of your income. 4) Buy insurance as a buffer against disaster, but get a high deductible and save the difference in a fund to pay high medical or repair costs, if they occur.

Question for identifying my Finances goal:

What does success look like for this goal? Concretely describe it.

Question for identifying my Finances habit:

Describe and put into writing one new habit I can and will consistently begin doing. Simple, small, measurable—that I want to, not have to, do.

My goal for my finances: ______________________________________

My habit(s) to make that a reality: ______________________________________

6. Career

As much as is in your ability to do so, find work and pursue a career that in one way or another you love. If you go to work only because you have to, consider what you would love (or at least like) to do and pursue what it takes to get there. Or consider what you could change in your existing career, and make every effort toward that change. If you like or love what you do, what habits will take you further?

Question for identifying my Career goal:

What does success look like for this goal? Concretely describe it.

Question for identifying my Career habit:

Describe and put into writing one new habit I can and will consistently begin doing. Simple, small, measurable—that I want to, not have to, do.

My goal for my career: ______________________________________

My habit(s) to make that a reality: ______________________________________

7. Impact / Legacy

One of the greatest ways people find meaning and purpose in life is by positively impacting the world they live in. This is the area where you can give back, which truly makes your life worth something. What kind of dent would you—and could you—make in your world? In the years you have left, how could you realistically make the world a better place or positively influence people? That becomes the legacy you leave after a life well lived.

Question for identifying my Legacy goal: