Tag Archives: success

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Work Week Devotion 01.21.2018

2 Corinthians 8:21

2 Corinthians 8:21 (NIV): For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.

When it comes down to it, the most important opinion is God’s. He is the one who truly knows your heart. In the end, it’s all between you and Him. But what about in the meantime? Does it matter what others think?

We are never to change our behavior to conform to the world, but our behavior should show the world who we are and what we value. That’s transparency. You should not only conduct your business in an honest way, you should be able to demonstrate to someone that you have honest business practices. At any given time, you should be able to open your business ledger, grade book, insurance reports or whatever it is you deal with and say “Be my guest. Inspect my practices.”

It’s tempting for the world to misinterpret our actions or question our motives. We can’t control what everyone says or thinks about us, but we can live and conduct our business in the light so that others cannot assume that there are shady things being done in the dark.

Heavenly Father, Thank you for understanding our heart even when others don’t. Help us to be transparent in our business practices so others aren’t tempted to question our integrity. Please forgive us when we are tempted to hide details in the dark. Amen.

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Work Week Devotion 03.12.2017

Proverbs 16:3

Proverbs 16:3 (NIV): Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.

Most of us like to have a plan. We have a goal and make a plan to get there. What do you do when life doesn’t go as planned? Do you throw up your hands in despair? Do you work harder to force your own agenda even when it’s obvious that it’s not working? How many times have you had to look back, at best, sheepishly or, at worst, extremely thankful that your plan was thwarted?

The key to God’s hand in your success is having His input from the beginning. Prayerfully set your goals. Commit your plans to the Lord. Work diligently, always seeking His leading, prepared to change the course even if it wasn’t in your original plan. Never forget the One who will establish your plans has ways that are far better than ours.

Lord, Thank you for having plans far better than we could ever imagine. Please send us reminders to seek Your will in our plans from the beginning and to look for Your leading as we strive to achieve our goals. Please forgive us when we try to run ahead on our own. Amen.

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Work Week Devotion 10.16.2016

Psalms 112: 4-5

Psalms 112:4-5 (NLT): Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.
Good comes to those who lend money generously and conduct their business fairly.

There are many ways to conduct business. Shrewdly, self-serving, humbly, generously, under-handed, transparent… Sadly, as many people believe “all is fair in love and war” they also believe it’s ok to do whatever you need in order to succeed because “it’s just good business.” Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Even when it would be easier or more beneficial in the short term to do something else.

Business owners – you honor God when you are generous, compassionate and fair.
Employees – you honor God when you are positive, productive and a team player.
We ALL honor God when we live a life of integrity at work and at home. It is promised that good will come from it!

Heavenly Father, thank you for the promise that good things will come to those who follow You. Forgive us when we think good things only look a certain way. We know Your plans are greater than ours. Show us how to honor You and live a life of integrity no matter where we are. Amen.

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Work Week Devotion 10.09.2016

Luke 12:15

Luke 12:15 (NLT): [Jesus said] “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

Life is measured by how much you love and how you are loved by others. Life is measured by how you serve God and live for Him. Life is measured by how much you give, even when others never see it. Life is not measured by how much you own. Not even close. If life WERE measured by how much you own, those with the most stuff would be the happiest people on earth and we see time and again that they are NOT.

What does it look like to guard against greed? Maybe for you it means giving that extra dollar to the waitress or putting it in the donation bucket. Maybe it looks more like buying school supplies for a needy kid rather than going out to dinner. Maybe you’ll give your staff a bonus rather than pocketing all of last month’s profits. To guard against greed means you intentionally give it away when it would be easier and more comfortable to keep it. It’s an intentional choice that boldly says “I will be defined by what I give, not by what I own.”

Generous Father, thank you for giving us such a rich life to enjoy. Please help us recognize opportunities to “give it away” so we can practice guarding against every kind of greed. Show us how to be generous to others as You are so generous to us. Amen.

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Life Planning Date

Just do it!

I love the word “intentional” and I long to live every day of my life in an intentional manner. Unfortunately I am far, far from that. One discipline that gets me closer to living intentionally is having a life planning date with my husband. I am a firm believer in this and have had several people ask me about it so here is a slightly more instructional blog than what I usually write.  I hope it helps you to live a more productive, intentional, peaceful life!

My husband and I usually do our life planning date at the beginning of the quarter (January, April, July, October) but will occasionally do it more often. We plan on discussing the coming three months. You don’t have to wait until the beginning of the quarter and you don’t have to plan out three months ahead if that seems overwhelming to you. You can start small but I encourage you to start SOON.

  • You must leave your house!!! On Mondays I work through lunch and am done seeing patients around 2:30 so we like to have our life planning date during this time. Set aside two hours and pick a restaurant that has big tables where you can relax. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT attempt to have a life planning date at your home. Even if you send your kids away you will be too distracted and/or will not take the exercise seriously. Make this an event and something to look forward to. Maybe even go shopping or out to a movie afterwards (but not before!)
  • It’s important to have the right tools for the job. I recommend a legal pad, writing utensils and of course your calendar or planner (paper and/or electronic) Even if you are a very digital person I recommend having the legal pad and pen so you can scribble notes while you talk. You might have some great brainstorming moments!
  • Discuss what you want to accomplish. This is going to be different for everyone but here are some suggested topics to plan: kids activities, church activities, work projects, work trips, vacations, home projects big and small, financial goals, personal goals, holiday plans…
  • The goal is for you both to be on the same page and know what activities are coming up and who needs to be where and when. Hopefully you’ll both come away with a prioritized to-do list and an accurate calendar.

If you’ve never done something like this before it might seem weird or awkward at first. Your spouse (or you!) might think it’s a silly idea. I’m not sure what my husband thought about it at first but now I think he looks forward to it as much as I do. A note to my single friends: this can work for you too! I took myself out to dinner a few weeks ago because I needed to be very focused on making some lists and planning some important things coming up. Getting yourself out of your familiar environment and intentionally concentrating on tasks at hand can be very productive!

I hope this exercise helps you as much as it has me. There’s something very empowering about setting aside time to talk about goals, come up with a plan and walk away feeling prepared as a unified team. I would LOVE to hear about your experience with life planning dates! Share in the comments below!

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Work Week Devotion 09.25.2016

Proverbs 16:3

Proverbs 16:3 (NIV): Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.

Most of us like to have a plan. We have a goal and plan to get there. What do you do when life doesn’t go as planned? Do you throw up your hands in despair? Do you work harder to force your agenda even when it’s obvious that it’s not working? How many times have you had to look back, at best sheepishly, or at worst extremely thankful, that your plan was thwarted?

The key to God’s hand in your success is having His input from the beginning. Prayerfully set your goals. Commit your plans to the Lord. Work diligently, always seeking His leading. Be prepared to change the course even if it wasn’t in your original plan. Never forget that the One who establishes your plans has ways that are far better than ours.

All Knowing Lord, Thank you for having plans far better than we could ever imagine. Please send us reminders to seek Your will in our plans from the beginning and look for Your leading as we strive to achieve our goals. Please forgive us when we try to run ahead on our own. Amen.

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Make New Friends

Make new friends but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold!

I think I sang this song in Girl Scouts approximately 782 times. Of course we all know this is true from a figurative standpoint. Friendships are more valuable than any precious metal, but did you know that it can be taken literally as well? In his book Thou Shall Prosper (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2010, pg. 61), Rabbi Daniel Lapin has this to say about business and friendship: “Only by actively, perhaps even joyously, interacting with other people can the circumstances of wealth creation be set in place.”

Making friends to try and get something from people NEVER works. It is, of course, also obnoxious. Happily, the side-effect of genuine relationships is expanding business contacts. One of the things I love about having a practice and going to church in the same small-ish (it’s big enough for me!) town is getting to know people and support their business endeavors as they support mine. I wrote about that a little bit in “No Free Pizza!” https://www.smileservesucceed.com/no-free-pizza/ (which is probably my most popular post to date!) I have recently started seeing posts on Facebook encouraging people to share links to their small business to encourage keeping it local when Christmas shopping. I love seeing that!

Expand your circle. Care for people. Care about their well-being. Find ways to serve them and meet their needs. Do it because friendships make our lives fuller and richer. Do it because we were made for relationships. Enjoy the unexpected business rewards as they come.

Are you actively seeking out new, genuine relationships? Where and how?

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Work Week Devotion Labor Day 2016

The Importance of Rest

Mark 6:31 (NIV): Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

God made us to need rest. Rest renews, refuels and re-energizes us. It prevents us from being burned out and stressed out. It allows us to serve God and serve people with energy and passion that is not available when we stretch ourselves too thin. It gives us the physical and mental stamina we need to tackle whatever comes up at work or at home.

God ordained rest from the beginning. The all-knowing, all-capable Creator of the universe and life itself took time to rest. He established the Sabbath and feasts that made rest a law in the old testament. Imagine a culture where refusing to rest was punishable!

There are several reasons we don’t get the rest we require. We wear the title of “busy” like it’s a badge of honor. We say “yes” to too many things. We feel guilty when we slow down. We’ll rest tomorrow. We are called to emulate Christ in every way that we can. Jesus rested and so can you! The Bible gives several examples where Jesus rested, Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, John 6:15 and Luke 5:16 just to name a few. When was the last time you got some real rest?

Heavenly Father, You knew from the beginning that Your creation would need rest. Thank you for giving us a way to renew ourselves physically and spiritually. Please forgive us for neglecting this gift. Help us to remember how important it is to rest in You and open our eyes to those opportunities. Amen.

 

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Success Comes to the Unselfish

The title of this article is lifted directly from Rabbi Daniel Lapin’s book Thou Shall Prosper (2010, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) In it he says

Success comes to the unselfish. Always keep in mind that everything you do must benefit others as much as yourself. The truly successful business professional is never concerned solely with his own welfare.

It goes without saying that a smart business person should

  • keep overhead low (within reason)
  • budget well
  • not spend extravagantly
  • charge a fair price for products/services
  • provide the best value possible in products/services

Once basic smart business principles are in place, the business has to focus on building relationships and meeting the needs of its customers/clients/patients. If a business person is solely focused on the bottom line, they might profit in the short term but they are not fulfilling real needs, offering real value or developing relationships that will sustain their business long term.

The word “unselfish” might seem to be in opposition to the term “business success” but I promise you it’s not. Decisions must be made in the context of what will benefit those you serve – your audience and your team. This philosophy doesn’t only allow you to go home satisfied knowing you have improved someone’s life, it is a proven formula for success and longevity of a business.

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Does Wealth Equal Success?

How would you define success? Many of us equate wealth with success, and it IS often a barometer of success. However, lack of wealth does not necessarily mean you aren’t successful AND wealth isn’t always what you think it should be.

“People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.” Ecclesiastes 5:12

Success can look like many different things to different people. Maybe it’s early retirement, more time with your kids while they’re young, the ability to work from home, the freedom to say “no,” being able to give to charities. If you focus only on your net worth as a measure of success you might be missing a lot of blessings or, even worse, you could completely miss how your life is intended to bless others.

Lack of wealth does not equal lack of success or favor. We often think “If only I had more money, a bigger house, a nicer car…” wealth can actually be a source of anxiety. More stuff equals more to maintain, insure, protect…and more to lose. If you are discouraged because you don’t have more money or more stuff maybe you should be thankful instead. Maybe, just maybe, God is giving you just what you need when you need it and saving you from worry you don’t need or can’t handle right now.

Maya Angelou said “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it.” If I could say those three things every day I would consider my life a success. How would YOU define success?