The biblical definition of success is: knowing what God has called you to do and seeking to excel in it. As it says in the Scriptures: “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1 NKJ).
The process of developing good or bad habits is the same: Right thinking leads to right believing, right speaking, right feeling, and on to right choices, which in turn produces right attitudes and right habits. Attitudes are habits of thought. Habits are attitudes of thought put into action.
Here are Eight Habits of Highly Successful People:
1. Discipline “He will die for lack of discipline and instruction” (Proverbs 5:23 AMP). In reading about the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves—self-disciple (1 Corinthians 9:27).
2. Diligence “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings” (Proverbs 22:29 NKJ). “The soul of the diligent shall be made rich” (Proverbs 13:4). Diligence is a learnable skill that combines: creative persistence, a smart-working effort rightly performed in an efficient and effective manner to attain the highest quality of excellence. We can use it to turn poor marriages into great marriages; good careers into incredible careers; and a failing business into a successful one.
3. A Positive, mental, faith attitude. This attitude believes the best, looks for the good and is willing to take a risk on people. I call this kind of attitude a Victory spirit! Whenever a leader needs to ask others to make a commitment of time, two questions must always be answered: (1) Can they? This deals with ability and availability. (2) Will they? This deals with attitude (Ephesians 4:23).
4. Right habits concerning finances and material possessions (Matthew 6:33; Psalm 35:27). John D Rockefeller lived by John Wesley’s Dictum on finances: Gain all you can by honest means. Save all you can by being thrifty. Give all you can by being generous” (Proverbs 11:24-25).
5. A Resilient Life is the ability to bounce back. It’s not how fast you run or how high you jump, it’s how well you bounce that counts! You’re not a failure because you fail, you’re only a failure when you refuse to get back up and try again. Jesus is the comeback king and He is our example and inspiration!
“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise” (Micah 7:8).
6. The ability to make a clear, swift, decision when a decision is called for, is the sign of a good leader. The four lepers in 2 Kings 7:3-4 in a time of famine listed their options, looked beyond the options to the consequences of each option and chose the best one.
7. The ability to finish well. Make commitments and following them through to the end. You can’t win if you don’t finish. It takes courage to start and persistence to finish. People don’t remember all the good things you have done if you don’t finish well.
8. Faithfulness and Loyalty to God, His Church, His word and His work. You get involved in God’s business and He will get involved in yours. There is no business like God’s business (Matthew 16:18).
William Gladstone, Prime Minister of England, stated: “I have known 95 great men in my life time. And of these, 87 were followers of the Bible.”
Yours for helping people know what God has called them to do, and then to excel in it.
Dr George Hill
President/Founder Victory Churches International
