76a – Successful Business Plan (Part 1)
Think a minute…Do you know the secret to a successful business? Even if you do not own your own business, these principles work in both your professional life and personal life. If you follow these priorities, they will guide you to success in this “business called Life”.
Rule number one is a well-known phrase in the business world: “Find a need and fill it.” You find success and happiness as you help others find it by meeting their needs. But you can’t give what you don’t possess. That is why you need to learn what you enjoy and are skilled at doing. A wise man observed: “A person rarely succeeds at anything unless he enjoys doing it.”
Henry Ford became successful because he developed a car that was affordable for ordinary people and not just the rich. Ford understood: “If a need persists, the answer exists.” The more people whose needs your business serves, the more successful your business becomes.
You may own a local business which serves your community’s needs with quality products and services. Or, you may be a teacher, carpenter, doctor, musician, salesman, or one of many other professions. You are filling an important place in your community by being your best at what you do, and making the lives of others better through your skillful service to them.
This leads us to rule number two for success: “Do for others what you want others to do for you.” This famous Golden Rule is a principle that works to produce the life you want and need. It is when you treat others the way you want to be treated that you find real success—in your career, character, and relationships with family, friends, and fellow workers.
Why not start following these first two rules for success in every area of your life, both professionally and personally. Won’t you ask Jesus, the most successful person who ever lived, to take charge of your heart and way of living, so you can start following His plan for your success in this most important business called Life. Just think a minute…
76b – Successful Business Plan (Part 2)
Think a minute…A wise person said: ”The reason people are successful is that they put their plan and work together for a plan that works.” Yesterday we started a plan for success in our career, character, and personal relationships. Today, we will complete the course.
Rule number three: Be productive. This means we learn to use our time and talents efficiently and effectively to produce something others think is worth having. It may be a good product or service, or both. But to do this we must maintain our high standard of quality in our work. The world-famous musician Paderewski said: “When I miss a week of practice, my audience knows it. When I miss a day of practice, I know it.”
This takes daily discipline and commitment to improving ourselves and our service to others. We must keep sharpening our skills, learning to use new and better technology, even learning from our competitors. Remember: “The enemy of the best is second best.” “Good enough” rarely is!
This leads to rule number four: Be motivated by a passion and purpose that gets you up every morning. “Fire in your heart will melt the lead in your feet.” Without this desire and drive, your best plans will never happen. There is a deep satisfaction that only comes from knowing you are fully using your abilities and training to become the best you can be.
Yet, even if we did all this, we still need a purpose bigger than just our own personal desires and dreams. Something that is truly worth giving our life to. This brings us back to where we started: You find real, lasting success and happiness as you help others find it. It is the only true, satisfying success our Maker designed us to have.
Remember, when we know that God Himself is with us, we cannot lose, since He works everything together for good when we live for Him and His purpose. Won’t you ask Jesus to forgive you for living your wrong way and to take charge of your life every day? Then, He can help you start living His plan and principles for your success in this great business called Life. Just think a minute…
76c – Sam the Changed Man
Think a minute…This is the true story of a man named Sam who joined the American army in 1812. He was such a great military leader that he became a Major General. Eventually he became successful in politics also and was elected Governor of Tennessee. When he was campaigning for a second term, Sam married a girl named Eliza Allen. But the marriage only lasted 11 days! It’s not clear whether Sam’s drunkenness drove them apart or whether the divorce drove him to drink.
Sam later resigned as Governor of Tennessee and went to live with the Cherokee tribe of native American Indians. He became an alcoholic and stayed for years under the influence of alcohol, or “firewater” as the native American Indians called it. Sam went downhill fast as drinking wasted years of his life.
One day Sam was back in America’s capital of Washington D.C. on a mission for the Cherokee Indian tribe. He was walking down the main street when he saw a Congressman who in the past had publicly accused Sam of stealing and fraud. Well, Sam decided this was his chance for revenge and payback, so he physically beat the man for slandering his name.
In the days following, this Congressman whom Sam had beaten got his own revenge when Sam was publicly penalized and his entire political career destroyed. Or so everyone thought.
Then a surprising thing happened: Sam changed his ways! He realized that he needed to learn to control himself physically, emotionally and mentally. In fact, he continued to prove his self-control so that eventually America trusted him as the leader of a large part of the nation. This man, Sam Houston, who had lived as a drunk, totally changed and became the first President of the great territory of Texas. Later he even returned to Washington as a respected U.S. Senator. To this day, Sam the changed man is remembered with one of America’s largest cities named after him: Houston, Texas.
Everything changed for Sam when he made the decision to change. And so can you today. Won’t you ask Jesus to forgive you for your wrong, sinful living? If you ask Him to take full control of your heart and way of life, He will help you start changing to become the successful man or woman of true character He created you to be. Just think a minute…
76d – What Women Want
Think a minute…One of man’s greatest challenges is to understand women. “By the time a man can read a woman like a book, he needs eyeglasses.” Or as one husband said, “There are two ways to handle a woman—and nobody knows either of them.” What do women really want?
For one thing, unlike women, men usually turn off their feelings of romance and affection when they are working. The same is true when he is with the guys or enjoying his hobby. Then when he is with his wife, he will give his attention and affection to her.
But a woman is different. She needs some type of loving attention more often and not just when her husband is in the mood for romance. She does not turn her romantic feelings on and off like he does. This is why she feels hurt when her husband does not notice her or want to talk and listen to her. For example, it hurts her after they argue when he just continues acting like nothing happened, instead of apologizing and making peace with her.
Much of what a woman does, whether it’s cooking, cleaning, making her house a comfortable home, even her job and career, she usually does out of love for her husband and children. Consequently, she feels hurt when her husband does not seem to appreciate her. He may even think she’s being too sensitive and needy for his affection and approval. This is what causes many problems and misunderstandings in marriage relationships.
Men, your wife generally considers physical and passionate love different from romantic, affectionate love. Your wife needs and wants your heart, and once you have her heart, you have all of her love and affection too.
It’s a simple fact: “There would be much happier marriages if husbands tried as hard to keep their wives as they did to get them.” Today, with God’s help, won’t you start trying to better understand and give your wife what she really wants and needs? Just think a minute…
76e – Following the Wrong Map
Think a minute…Have you ever been lost? If you travel to another country for the first time, getting lost can be frustrating and discouraging. In the days before GPS (Global Positioning System), people relied on maps to show them the way to their destination. Imagine you had just arrived in London, England and wanted to go to a certain place in that great city. A map of London would show you how to get there. But what if you had the wrong map? What if your map read London, but it was actually a map of Tokyo, Japan! Imagine your total frustration and futility in trying to get where you want to go in London, when all the time you’re following the map of Tokyo!
You could work on your driving skills and concentration. Try harder and drive faster. But that would only take you to the wrong place faster. You might even change your attitude and think more positively. But you would still be lost. Being polite and kind to other drivers and pedestrians along the way would not get you there either. None of these things you do can change the fact that you’re following the wrong map.
That’s the frustrating situation we all face in life. We keep looking for success, satisfaction, and love in all the wrong places—because we don’t have the right map. We keep going down dead-end roads that lead us nowhere. We waste much of our life getting lost and making painful mistakes that cost us dearly—because we do not know how to get where we want to go. But the saddest thing of all is that the right map has been right in front of us all the time. We simply refused to use it. In fact, the Maker of the right map also came as our personal guide to show us what we’re looking for.
Jesus said: “I am the way to true life. Follow me and I will lead you where you need and want to go. I know this land and territory called life. I know how to protect you from going where you do not want to go. Trust me. I guarantee that if you follow my way, you’ll find the lasting, good life of satisfaction and security you have been looking for.” Won’t you ask Jesus to start leading you today? Isn’t it finally time to stop going down those dead-end roads and start following the right map of life? You will even have Jesus Christ as your own personal guide every day. Just think a minute…