The Secret of Success 4-13-08
In the opening scene of the 1991 movie Other People’s Money, the main character Larry (played by Danny DeVito) tells us his guiding philosophy:
“I love money. I love money more than the things it can buy. There’s only one thing I love more than money. You know what that is? OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY.” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102609/quotes)
Larry is a corporate raider (or shareholder activist, depending on your point of view) who takes control of companies and restructures them for a higher share value. He is very successful at this and is very rich. This quote epitomizes what many Americans believe about successful people – their main concern is money, and that they will do anything to get more of it.
There is a myth in modern America that says that success comes at the price of everything good in a person’s life. We hear stories about athletic superstars who wreck their health with steroids, stories about politicians who make shady deals to gain power, and stories about business giants who break the law and swindle millions. Of course some of this goes on, but in reality these stories make the news more because of the rarity of the incidents than if these issues were the norm. Most successful athletes combine natural talent with dedication and discipline. Most politicians do not have freezers of cash or their signature in the guest registry of a Washington DC brothel.
Most millionaires do not fit their stereotyped mold either. Thomas J. Stanley reported in his book The Millionaire Mind that the top five guiding principles for the 733 millionaires surveyed were: integrity, self-discipline, social skills (getting along with others), a supportive spouse, and hard work.
I find this fascinating, in that these five principles that millionaires credit with their ability to become wealthy are so in line with principles laid out for us in the Bible. It just makes perfect sense that only by living by these principles will we ever achieve success, either in our careers, our families, our finances, or (most importantly) in our spiritual growth. The Bible has many examples of successful men and women that demonstrated these principles in their lives:
INTEGRITY: The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful. (Proverbs 12:22 NIV) – Job was known as a man of integrity, keeping it even when afflicted by the Devil for no good reason; Joseph kept his integrity by not sleeping with Potipher’s wife; Jesus preached that Satan is the father of lies, and that real truth is with God.
SELF-DISCIPLINE: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV) – Daniel and his friends kept to their Godly ways, even when it would have been easy to give them up; Paul wrote often about the need to train ourselves as athletes and soldiers do; Jesus spoke about keeping our priorities right (seeking the Kingdom first).
SOCIAL SKILLS: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12 NIV) – Esther gained the favor of the King’s Eunuch Hegai; Phillip spoke easily with the Ethiopian Eunuch; Jesus worked among the people.
A SUPPORTIVE SPOUSE: A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. (Proverbs 12:4 NIV) – Sarah, Ruth, and Mary the mother of Jesus are all great examples.
HARD WORK: All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. (Proverbs 14:23 NIV) – Noah worked on the Ark for 100 years; Jacob labored 14 years for his wives; Jesus worked tirelessly, healing and teaching the crowds even when he was worn out and distressed by the news of John’s beheading.
The secret to success lies with the following: with God all things are possible.
-Charles Peterson