Lessons Along the Journey: Success

Lesson #2: I CAN succeed! It won't be so difficult.

Now, that is a liberating thought! I've always gotten overwhelmed rather easily. I'm a "big picture" person, so instead of just putting away what I just got out, I tend to think of all the things in the house that should be put away, along with all the closets that need to be gone through, and the laundry with spots, and the mending, and errands, and the problems of my church, and world hunger, and... you get the idea. :)

And how could I possibly accomplish all of this? And by the time I get all of my closets cleaned out, the one I started with will need to be cleaned out again!

OK, deep breath.

Whew. That's better.

In this area, Flylady.net made a huge difference for me. With simple statements, like:

"You can do anything for 15 minutes."

"Imperfect housework still blesses your family."

"Progress, not perfection."

I feel like I've been given the tools to move forward, and not stay stuck.

So when I began to read a book called "The Slight Edge," Flylady's wisdom was coming back in full force! According to Jeff Olson, the author, the difference between people who are successful and people who aren't successful is actually very small. A few little things that are easy to do (but also easy NOT to do), consistently done over the years, add up to success.

In the same way that saving a dollar a day, with compounded interest, would add up to a lot of money in a few years, taking small & consistent steps toward success over a period of time are what get you there.

Now, this is in the category of "general principles" that could be easily mis-applied. Because if I thought I could achieve success without first ensuring that what I am aiming for is what God has told me to be aiming for, or that this means that I no longer need to depend on God for strength for each moment, then I could get myself into a lot of trouble. But, in the context of Biblical truth, this is a powerful principle to help me pursue what God is calling me to do.

So, once I am sure that I am headed in the direction God wants me, and am relying on Him each moment, I need to be diligent in doing the little things that will make the difference between success and failure.