SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE FAIL MORE OFTEN

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE FAIL MORE OFTEN

It is a paradox, but it is true.  Great success is frequently preceded by (or interrupted by) great failure.  Consider the American pro baseball Hall of Famer, Hank Aaron.  During “Hammerin’ Hank’s” 23 year career, he hit a record-setting 715 home runs, but he struck out 1,383 times before doing so.  So don’t ever be fearful of near misses or abject failures; they are mere preludes to phenomenal victory.

When you are tempted to feel discouraged, remember the law of the seed.  That is, the more you sow of your time, talent and treasure, the more opportunities you will create for success.  Is there natural evidence for this spiritual principle?  Yes.  The average apple tree contains five hundred apples, with an average of seven seeds per apple.  Bottom-line: most seeds sown will somehow experience failure.  Therefore, multiple seeds are necessary to guarantee productive and positive results.

Perhaps you have not tried hard enough, long enough, or been consistent enough.  Think. 

Job seekers might have to work their way through twenty (or more) interviews before landing a position.  Employers might have to interview forty (or more) candidates before finding the right employee.  Sales reps might have to identify fifty (or more) prospects before setting five appointments and closing one deal.  You and I might have to wade through hundreds of acquaintances before finding one special friend.

Understanding the law of the seed minimizes frustration and disappointment.  It is helpful to read the biographies of successful individuals.  When these writers are candid, we invariably discover troubling and testing times in which persons-at-the-top experience setbacks that shake their foundations and bring them to their knees.  Perhaps, that is the greatest place and position any human can occupy.

Plant more seeds.  While doing so, trust God.  After all, HE IS Lord of the Harvest.  Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed!