Contact Me

If you enjoy my blog and would like to contact me, you may reach me at this email: dena.netherton@gmail.com

Some of my stories are published in:
A Cup of Comfort Devotional for Mothers and Daughters (Adams Media, 2009)
Chicken Soup: What I Learned from the Dog (2009)
Love is a Flame (Bethany House, 2010)
Extraordinary answers to Prayer (Guideposts, 2010)
Love is a Verb (Bethany House, 2011)
Big Dreams from Small Spaces (Group Publishing, 2012)

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Are you determined to succeed?

George Allen, football coach once said, " People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don't know when to quit. Most men succeed because they are determined to."

 I love that.
How many people do you know who have succeeded even though they're not particularly smart or gifted? Probably lots.
I've also know many very gifted people who haven't become very successful in their particular area of expertise.
It's usually because they haven't committed to working with all their heart on increasing their skills:
  • practicing more (longer, harder, smarter) on a musical instrument
  • studying to become more knowledgeable in your subject
  • making more phone calls
  • not quitting after a rejection
  • taking that extra course
  • listening to the expert and making the required edits to the manuscript
  • making the decision to focus on your goal without going off on bunny trails
  • deciding that "good" is the enemy of "excellent"; keep improving
Succeeding is not so much a question of giftedness; it's more a question of the heart.
What do you really want? Are you willing to pay the price of hard work and focus?

I once attended a writer's conference. During each meal I made it a point to sit at a different table. I used my meal times to interview authors. One of the questions I asked them was, "Why do you think you succeeded in getting published?"
Almost without exception, the writers said, "Because I didn't give up. I kept writing and re-writing and when I'd get a rejection, I'd work on it some more, then send it out again."
The key phrase, "I didn't give up" has stayed in my mind.
I repeat it when I'm tempted to slack off or give up.

If God has a job for you to do, then do it well, do it with excellence,
and do not give up!

Take these scripture verses with you today:

(the reason we work and do not give up)
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

(the result of our hard work)
"Do you see a man skilled in his work?
He will serve before kings;
he will not serve before obscure men." (Proverbs 22:29)

We serve the King of Kings.
What is the "good work" God has called you to?
Will you work at it with all your heart?


3 comments:

  1. I like this Dena. It's true--hard, but true. I'm sharing this link tomorrow on FB.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Dena -

    Another enemy of success is distraction. We can let a dream slip away by letting other things crowd it out.

    Blessings,
    Susan :)

    ReplyDelete