S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

 What comes to your mind when you think of the word success? Reaching a goal? Winning something? Trying to reach a goal? Do you think about the big wins, the small wins or everything in between? Do you think it could look different to everyone? Some people may say it has to do with having a lot of money, having a good career, breaking records in sports, getting A- B honor roll or the dean's list. These are good, but could there more to success? As you all should know (or will find out real soon!), I love words! Success can be defined as the achievement of something attempted. Today, I want to take time and break down the word success as I believe there are several components that it is made up of. The first S stands for staying focus and alert. In order to have success, you must first look in the direction you want to go. We need to be aware of what is going on around us and who is around us. Distractions come in all forms, so we have to watch out and keep our eye on the goal. Define clearly what goal we want to work towards. The goal may be the high school diploma or college degree, getting the dean's list, completing tasks at work or home, spending less time scrolling social media, the business, the book. It's breaking down bigger goals into smaller goals and working towards that every day. Success takes discipline and that's what we have to do daily. The U stands for understanding that everything happens for a reason. Along the road to success, things happen. Things come up. The goal may get delayed, but that doesn't mean it's been denied. God knows the right timing. Delays come so we can be better prepared or get a better opportunity. Learn in the delays and keep going. The first C stands for counting your blessings. We have to be thankful in everything (I Thessalonians 5:18). Every day we live is a blessing and we have to give God thanks for all we have along the way. The second C stands for carrying everything to God. A lot can weigh on us in this life, but the good news is we don't have to carry it. The weights are the issues, concerns, and problems we encounter. Every day, we can give our weight to Him and He will help us with what we can control (I Peter 5:7, Hebrews 12:1). The E stands for eager to do your best. You should strive to give your all and do well in all things. Doing bare minimum or just enough to get by will catch up with you after a while, but doing well and giving your best will have a lasting impact! In everything we do and in every place we go, we should please God (Colossians 3:23). Now we're down to the final S's in success. The first S is staying connected to what's positive. We have to surround ourselves with what's positive in conversations, music, tv shows, movies, social media, interactions, relationships. If it's hurting us more than helping us, we need to let it go. If it's feeding us more negativity than positivity, then we need to not participate. The last S is to stay on God's path. As we continue from day to day, we need to stay on God's path. We need to pray and read God's Word daily. Post Scriptures in rooms around your house, social media pages, electronic devices. Remind yourself what God says about you and make sure you live that out. We have to dare to be different and let our light shine for God (Matthew 5:16). Connect with those who are also on God's path. I know it can be hard, but make right choices even when others don't want to. Sometimes the road to success may feel lonely, but I'm here to tell you that you are not alone. God is with you every step of the way. Working on all the parts we discussed earlier will keep you on the road to success!