Keep Preparing Yourself

This morning I read a devotional entitled, Keep Preparing Yourself, and thought of all those who have participated in the coaching/mentoring program I call Success University. From Kansas to Florida to New York and New England, you know who you are. I prayed for you today and I urge you to keep working harder on yourself than you do on your job.

"David didn't suddenly become an expert marksman with a slingshot when Goliath showed up, or a master harpist when King Saul invited him to the palace. He took the long, slow, disciplined route. David had no idea what his future held; he simply found joy and fulfillment in discovering and developing his gifts. Your greatest obstacle isn't ignorance, it's the illusion of knowledge. It's in believing you have arrived. When that happens you are done growing, which means you are done!"

"Which zone do you live in?"

"The Comfort Zone - I only do what I already know I can do."

"The Coasting Zone - I don't even do what I have done before."

"The Challenge Zone - I attempt to do what I have not done before."

"Phillip Brooks said, 'Sad is the day for any man when he becomes absolutely satisfied with the life he is living, the thoughts he is thinking and the things he is doing; when there ceases to be forever beating at the doors of his soul a desire to do something larger--which he seeks and knows that he was meant and intended to do.'"

"David's brothers knew his skills, yet none of them told King Saul about him. Be encouraged, you'll get there without them! Then one of Saul's servants...said, 'Look, I have seen the son of Jesse...who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor.'"

"David didn't compete with his brothers or complain about his status as a sheepherder. He just kept developing his relationship with God and sharpening his skills, and when the time was ripe God promoted him."

What are you reading?
What are you listening to?
What conferences are you attending?
Who are you spending time with?

What thoughts do they have you thinking?
What direction do they have you going?
Is that okay?

(For those of you who are alumni of Success U. and those of you who are presently participating, I would love to get a testimonial regarding your present personal development track and what part SU has played. If you are an SU alumnus and are reading this blog, please forward it to other SU alumni you may think of.)