The H.E.A.R.T of Success-1

Everyone desires to succeed. I am yet to come across any man who desires failure. Ask a drunk at the peak of his drunken stupor and he will clearly tell you that he is a candidate for success more than anyone else! At every seminar that I conduct on principles of success, one of the questions I make it a point of duty to ask the audience is “Who wants to make it?” Almost as if on automation, every hand in the audience goes up! But when I ask the next question, “Who can tell us what “it” is?” the hands go down. Nine out of ten people who express the desire to succeed cannot even define a clear vision that can be logically pursued. Then comes my clincher, “How do you find what you have not first defined?”

Success is relative to the personal definition of a life objective. Success to one may mean nothing to another. But one thing is clear, whatever success is to you, it is not a function of wishful thinking or daydreaming. It is not something hanging in the air ready to drop on the laps of the next lucky available person. It must be defined and pursued. Every living thing has a heart. Even with plants, the heart would probably be the nucleus. The heart is the centre of the creature’s life. It is that which pumps blood round the body and once it ceases to function, death is the result. Success is dynamic and has a heart as well. For success to be sustainable, you must understand its heart. We will use the word ‘heart’ as an acronym.

The first letter stands for Hunger. True success begins with a genuine desire to succeed. However, this is not the desire expressed as a wish. It is the hunger for something more than status quo, an inner longing for significance beyond the mundane. So it is not a desire for the illusory ‘success’ or ‘it’ but a definite quest that sparks an inner fire. When a man begins to have stirrings within him that make him uncomfortable with being another ordinary nice guy or miscreant down the street, it sets him on an inner odyssey that is guaranteed to lead him into alleys in life that will place significant demands on potentialities in him that he did not know he had. Hunger for significance makes an individual join the league of dreamers of great dreams. This is how visions are born. Great visions arise out of a genuine desire to contribute something significant to the human enterprise. Whenever a man discovers his platform for genuine contribution and problem-solving, the universe works in his favour to deliver success beyond his imagination to him. Success without impact is hollow and brings a lot of unpleasant consequences with it. With a vision as compass, the individual learns to set specific goals that translate into action plans. The type of goals and action plans in place will determine the relevant information and skills required and the pursuit of such, even if it means going through a school or a process of formal instruction to get it. Most of us went to school just for the purpose of getting a certificate and being numbered among the elite. And after graduation, we are suddenly confronted with the question, “What next?” In seeking answers, we turn to popular opinion which conveniently counsels, “Get a job.” Most people, after securing a job, never take the quest beyond that. They do not even assay a vision for success on the job!

No man can deliver the package of destiny if his heart is heavier than the load. The letter E therefore stands for the required Enthusiasm. The word enthusiasm has its root in two Latin words ‘en theos’ which is translated as “in God”. It is a higher dimension of passion because it is fueled not only by hope that the desired destination is a possibility but by faith in the fact that what God inspires He supports. This is the one quality required to overcome obstacles and challenges that are guaranteed to show up in the course of the pursuit of any vision. The odyssey of success will, metaphorically speaking, lead through many forests, mountains and valleys. Friends may turn foes and family may become traducers. Several situations will confront you that would make you feel like the journey should be abandoned. Many people who don’t understand your vision will give you several reasons why what you are pursuing is not attainable. They might even give you vivid examples of people who tried something similar to it before and failed. More often than not, they mean well. But they only speak within the limits of their perspective and experience. Be that as it may, they are not responsible for the vision that God inspired in you. Those who did not go to bed with you should never be allowed to determine what you dream about. You must never allow the distractions of the daytime to take away from you what God inspired in you in the night seasons.

Enthusiasm is sustained by keeping the vision of your destination in clear view always. In 1 Samuel 17 of the Holy Bible, David’s enthusiasm was the major reason for his success in slaying the human behemoth called Goliath. Everyone, beginning from his own brothers who were in the army, to King Saul who was the Commander-In-Chief of the Israeli army, told him that it was an impossible task that would at best be a suicide mission for anyone who embarked on it. For that reason, the entire Israeli army had endured the taunts and jeers from that one person for forty days with no one willing to take on his challenge. Yet, with Goliath standing, the Israeli nation would, in a matter of time become captive of her Philistine foes.

What was the difference between Saul’s pack and David? Perspective. While Saul and his soldiers saw the intimidating physique and the inviolate reputation of Goliath for invincibility, David saw a trophy! The prize made the price worth paying! It is like a lion looking at a buffalo or an elephant. While other animals see a big, intimidating animal, the lion sees food that will last for some time! Enthusiasm is the strength of discipline. True discipline is nothing but purpose paying the price for its fulfillment. The magnitude of a vision will always spell the disciplines required to attain it. Success is not a stroll in the park. Destiny fulfillment comes at a cost. The value you attach to it will determine the premium to be paid. Attainment will demand certain adjustments in our status quo. True progress never happens without sometimes earth-shaking adjustments to our current routine. This is why I love Myles Munroe’s definition of discipline as decisions dictated by a predetermined destination. Discipline without a specific purpose in mind is nothing but plain punishment. When you punish yourself by depriving yourself of certain necessities just for the sake of doing so, you are a certified masochist. And that is a psychological problem! …continued

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!