When You Chase Success Instead of Your Mission, You’ll Find Failure Faster

There’s something in all of us that wants to be successful.
You have it in you. I definitely have it in me. It’s almost universal.
Think about it: very few parents encourage their kids to be unsuccessful.
Success (however you define it) is almost a universal pursuit.
In the instant-results, instant-measurement, instant-assessment culture we live in, we can measure ‘success’ or the lack of it in real time.
How much money am I making?
Are my kids in enough extracurricular activities?
Am I doing enough to volunteer in church?
Will my spouse get a raise this year?
Can we afford a nice vacation in the summer?
Don’t get me wrong. Only a fool doesn’t look at a something to measure. To ignore some of this is irresponsible.
But…and here’s the big but…sometimes…
We stop chasing our mission, and we start chasing success.
And that’s almost always a mistake.
If you talk to most people who have become extremely successful, very few of them made success their mission.
In fact, some of the most successful people I know had no idea they would attain what they did. They even laugh out loud with a convicting sincerity when they say they had no idea that such things would happen for them.
Most of them never chased success.
They just chased their mission.
Almost always, success is a byproduct of a passionately pursued mission.
Sometimes you see someone who is chasing success, and it’s kind of, well, obvious. And if you’re like me, you think, “I don’t want to follow that guy.”
The reason is simple – the cause is no bigger than themselves. And who wants to associate with a selfish person?
The people in your life who are truly worth following are those who have made their lives about something bigger than themselves.
And, coincidentally, in many cases, their commitment to their mission produces growth.
When you chase growth for growth’s sake and chase success for the sake of success, you lose integrity.
So what do you do?
Track finances but realize all of it belongs to God, and you’re a steward and you’re accountable.
Encourage your children.
Show appreciation toward your spouse.
Help others as best you can.
What would life look like if you stop chasing success and started chasing your mission?
Ironically, you might become more successful than ever.
By the way, to answer those questions that are already forming in your mind, come see us at 9 or 10:30 a.m. Sunday mornings at Connexus!
But in the meantime, what are you learning in your own life on this issue?