VAIN ACHIEVEMENTS

THE QUEST FOR ACHIEVEMENT
THE desire to achieve is an inherent human attribute. It is natural for people to seek to have more satisfying jobs, cultivate more empowering relationships, or make more money. Good. Everybody desires to get more.

The human desire for more is what drives progress and advancement in society. In the absence of such a desire, apathy will be the mainstay of human existence. Can you imagine living in a world where there is no electricity, water closet or motor transport? Have you considered a world without hospitals, television or pressing iron? Oh, how primitive that would make the world! But the drive for achievement releases inventions that enhance the human experience.

However, achievement must be substantial. It must have strong pillars. Any building that does not have strong pillars will not endure the storm when it comes. It is important that while we strive to achieve more, we do not sacrifice the pillars that make our achievements worthwhile. Don’t strive to live without having a life. Long life without wisdom is vain. Don’t pursue houses without building a home.

ALIVE BUT WITHOUT LIFE
LIFE is uncertain, death is sure. The surety of death makes life a transient experience. The reality of death means that life is lived once and for all. When you die, you are closed to all opportunities and possibilities of life. Because of this, many people are afraid to die. The fear of death creates an obsession for survival.

But what is survival without significance? What is life without meaning? Living without significance makes life empty. It makes life meaningless. While we must be grateful to God for the gift of life, we should also live to make our lives count. That way, we shall have true satisfaction in life. We shall gain contentment that derives not from our achievements but from the depth of our being. Don’t just stay alive, live with meaning. Build a legacy.

WEALTHY WITHOUT WORTH
WHEN you are wealthy, life can get comfortable. But nobody dies and goes away with their wealth. “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:7, 9-10, NIV).

Don’t make the pursuit of wealth your utmost priority because “Life is not measured by how much you own” (Luke 12:15, NLT). Anytime you have to make decisions about wealth, ensure that you do not trade your being for the material things of this world. Remember the question of Jesus, “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” You are worth more than anything and everything in the world. Don’t trade rich relationships, peace of mind, dignity and godliness for anything.

OLD BUT NOT GROWN
IN THE Bible, Proverbs 4:7 states, “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Proverbs 23:23 also instructs that we should “Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.” Age does not necessarily confer wisdom. Experience is not a reliable currency for wisdom. Yes, long life is a blessing from God but God does not want us to live long without wisdom.

Wisdom is something that you buy – not with age but with discipline and understanding. It comes when you dedicate your life to the pursuit of truth. You become wise when you sacrifice convenience for discipline; when you give your time to pursue knowledge which is true, pure, noble and virtuous. If you are old and bereft of wisdom, then what is the point? We’ve got to pursue knowledge that illuminates our minds and makes life worthy. Don’t just accumulate age. Also read, listen and learn.


HOUSE WITHOUT HOME
IT IS gallant to work hard to secure a roof over your head. But what is a house without a home. The home must be a place of love, support, affection and peace. If you invest in building a house without nurturing an environment where people can experience inner satisfaction, then you are as good as being on the streets.

Everyday, when you rise up and go out there to work hard, you return home at the end of the day. So if your home gives you stress, how can you wake up with renewed strength and energy to go back to work the next day. Don’t live in a nice house that produces stress, turbulence and negativity.

© 2012 Terry Mante
Personal Development Network (PEDNET)
Accra, Ghana

DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD

OUR POSTURE at the point of success will determine the extent of sustainability. We must have an intentional response when the times are good. It’s one thing achieving something and it’s something else maintaining what we achieve. You don’t relax when you achieve your objective.

Politicians who fight hard to win elections would have a great deal of work to do to keep the confidence of their supporters by keeping to their campaign promises and meeting the obligations of the office they occupy. After months (if not years) of planning and preparation towards the wedding, the couple would have to do a lot more to ensure that the marriage succeeds. Starting a business is a great thing to do but sustaining it is a much greater task to accomplish. Finding a job is tough but securing the job you find is no mean task.

On September 16, 2006, Otabil and Associates – an executive growth and leadership consultancy – hosted a leadership seminar at Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Ghana’s capital city of Accra. At this seminar, highly-respected motivational speaker and CEO of The HuD Group Dr Yaw Perbi poured out the following:

• The president of the largest independent steel company Charles Schwab lived on borrowed money the last five years of his life and died broke.
• The president of New York Stock Exchange Richard Whitney served a jail term in Sing Sing Prison.
• Albert Fall, a member of United States President Harding’s cabinet was just pardoned from prison so that he would die at home.

The grace-to-grass experiences of these once-great men may be seen as unfortunate. I don’t know what caused their ‘downfall’ but I’d say that when you are at your best, you must not lose your head. When a person achieves a feat, there is a tendency for them to allow complacency, pride and wilderness into their lives. It is quite intriguing that many people begin to walk down the road at the point of their greatest achievements. When you take your blessings for granted, you end up losing them. You must endeavour to be a good steward of all the favour and goodwill that come to your fold. It is not uncommon to find people who get promoted in politics begin to siphon public funds into private coffers. Definitely, such characters would not end up in a good place.

It takes a good attitude to handle the good seasons of your life. Good moments will not last if you don’t condition yourself to perpetuate them. The difference between those who give up or mess up and those who consistently progress is neither in the intricacies of challenges that confront a person. To me, the real difference is in the way we respond to situations. I pray that your accomplishments in life will stand the test of time; that you will not end up broke, in jail or in hell.

To have enduring success, there are three ideas I want you to keep in mind:
• How you begin life is not as important as how you navigate your way through it. Your final destination in life is a manifestation of how you sail through life. It is your responsibility to ensure that you experience the kind of life you desire.
• Your mental predisposition determines how you interpret your experiences.
• Fortunes will wither away if we don’t guard them diligently.

Don’t let success get into your head. Always remember that there is more ahead. You can do more. Don’t throw away what you have worked so hard to achieve. Use what you have achieved as a stepping stone to the next level of your life. Be like the prolific Christian apostle Paul who told the Philippian church, “… I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead.” Hold on. Go ahead.



© 2012 Terry Mante
Personal Development Network (PEDNET)
Accra, Ghana