7 Keys To Success In The Marketplace

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Webster’s Dictionary defines success as:

“outcome, result”

Successful outcome is something that follows as a result or consequence

According to Webster…..marketplace is defined as”

“an open square or place in a town where markets or public sales are held or  the everyday world”          

Let’s talk about the marketplace of life…..the things we’ll discuss can apply on your job….your business or as the definition says:  the everyday world.

If you want to be a lawyer………you study law.

If you want to be a doctor or a nurse….you study medicine.

If you want to be a teacher……you study education.

If you want to be a hair stylist….you study cosmetology.

If you want to be successful….you study the secrets of success.  The greatest success book ever written is the Bible.

God doesn’t have a problem with wealth….we do.

God doesn’t have a problem with success…..we do.

The only limitation to our success is self-imposed and it’s roughly six inches wide.

Take your fingers and put them to your head beside each ear.

We place limitations on ourselves…. limits based on our past experience.

Let me show you what I mean.

Proverbs 4:23 in the New Living Translation says:

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Proverbs 4:23 in the King James Version says:

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

The word issues is a real estate term and it means:

“the borders, the parameters.”

Your heart sets the borders of your life.

The outside circumstances don’t set the borders of your life; it’s what’s in your heart that sets the borders.

Our borders are set by our past experience.  What’s in your heart depends on what you saw, heard and experienced as a child.

I remember the first time I heard preaching about being financial prosperity and God blessing people….I heard Dr. Fred Price say that God wants you blessed and not broke.

When you’ve been broke that’s the kind of preaching you like to hear…..but while the teaching excited me….I was hesitate to accept it…because he had crossed a border I had in my heart.

I grew up in a wonderful church that taught four things…get saved, miss hell, go to heaven and have a mansion in the sky.

The prevailing thought in that denomination was some people are going to be rich, some people are going to be poor and there’s nothing you can do about it.

If you want to be successful then you’re going to have to expand the borders of your mind.. . .past all current limitations.

You cannot walk in the victory God has for you until you expand those borders.

There is no limitation on how expanded those borders can become. You can keep pushing them back further and further because as much as you can imagine, based on the Word of God, God can do it through your life.  So, we need to move those borders.

How do we do that?

 Romans 12:2 says:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

The Message Bible translation of Romans 12:1-2 says:

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

Let’s go a little deeper in Verse 2….the Word says, “be not conformed to this world.”

The word conformed there in the Phillips translation means “pressed into the mold.”

Don’t let the world. . .press you into its mold.

Conform means to be made into an image.

The Bible talks about being conformed to the image of Christ. We want to be more and more like Him. He says don’t let the world conform you, don’t be conformed by the world. Don’t let the world press you into its mold.

What kind of mold are we talking about?

Setting the borders.

We set the borders of what we can do based on what we have done … or we set the borders of what we can do based on what someone else has done … or what we have been taught in the past.

One of my favorite phrases in the Bible is, “And it came to pass.”

Whatever it is…that adversely came your way…it didn’t come to stay. It is from the enemy, it came to pass.  So let it go!

Abraham Maslow said:

“The story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short.”

You are where you are today because you have chosen to be there.

If you are content with what you have done…you will never be famous for what you will do.

If you’re not where you’d like to be in life….chances are there’s something you don’t know yet….cause if you did….you wouldn’t be where you’re at.

Your success in life. . .in the marketplace can grow only to the extent that you do….that’s why the renewing of your mind is so important….expanding your borders creating success in your life.

Here are seven keys to obtaining success in the marketplace.

ACTION IDEA #1

IF YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL….YOU NEED TO INCREASE YOUR VALUE.

Abraham Lincoln said:

“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend seven sharpening my axe.”                                                                   

How do you sharpen your ax?

Do we spend more time on our bodies. . .brushing our teeth, taking a bath or shower, fixing our hair, putting on deodorant & perfume and other such products than we do dressing our mind?

The average man haircut costs $20 with the tip. . .maybe once a month or every six weeks.  The average woman will spend $40 to $80 a month based on what they have done to their hair.

How much do we spend dressing our minds?

Our personal library reveals the depth of our respect for money and success.

On a monthly basis we will spend probably at least $300 on auto payments; $130 on gas; and $800-1,300 on an apartment or mortgage.

Now look at your checkbook.  How much did you invest in books and CDs?

How much did you spend on Cable TV with rental movies and other upgrades?

We need to ask ourselves each day:

What can I do today to feed my mind more of the thoughts, words, people and pictures that are consistent with the very best person I can be.

Do we give 30/60 minutes each day to reading the Bible (first) and then other books that motivate us?

Are you taking notes and underlining thoughts you want to remember and act on?

If you read 60 minutes each day you should complete about one book per week.

The average American reads less than one book per year.

One book a week means you will read 52 books this year.

Earning a PhD from major university requires the reading and synthesis into a dissertation of 40 to 50 books.

Learn from church services, events, seminars and rallies…that move you outside of your comfort zone

Someone once said:

“If you are not continually learning and upgrading your skills….somewhere, someone else is, and when you meet that person in the competitive marketplace you will lose.”

Here’s the bottom----I mean bottom line…..Jesus was always improving Himself . . . should we do any less?

Luke 2:52 says:

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”

And one more thing….Jesus began each day with proper preparation.

Mark 1:35 says:

“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

ACTION IDEA # 2

STOP MAKING EXCUSES AND BLAMING EVERYBODY ELSE.

I want you to get a hold of this truth….the world doesn’t owe you a living….all it owes you is an opportunity….If you want to get paid more, then make yourself more valuable.

“My boss doesn’t pay me enough.”  Then find another job.  It’s probably not your boss’s fault anyway.  Even if he doesn’t pay you enough, that’s still no excuse. ….not being paid enough is oftentimes a cop-out for not doing the job you were hired to do.

Here’s a fact, you will never get to the next level until you fix the level you’re ons.  Here’s the good news….if you can fix your finances at your current level, you will be able to fix them at any level.

Making one excuse will only lead to the next excuse.  Quit making excuses.  We can blame everybody else for our situation as long as we want to, but it won’t help or solve the problem.

If you messed up, fess up, get up and move on.

ACTION IDEA #3

ASSOCIATE WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE.

Hang around with the right kind of folks.

Don’t drink coffee with the person just because they are sitting in the break room.  Don’t’ go to lunch with the person who happens to be closest to the door.

You are a living magnet; you attract into your life, the people, ideas and circumstances that harmonize with your dominant thoughts.

You can learn from others…..Jesus did…..Yes, Jesus learned from others.

Luke 2:46 says:

“And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. “

Jesus also encouraged everyone around Him including His staff to learn everything they could about their jobs.

2 Timothy 2:15 in the Amplified Bible says:

“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.”

                                                                                               

ACTION IDEA #4

YOU GOTTA KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING…IF YOU EVER WANT TO GET THERE.

If you want to be successful then you must have goals….

For some people a long term goal is the movie they plan to see this weekend

or whether they will eat at Cracker Barrel, Denny’s or Ihop for breakfast on Saturday.

For some people, their long term goal is just making it through the day.

I vividly remember a lady who came up to me in a meeting and rather sanctimoniously said:  “I don’t believe in goal setting. . .it’s worldly.”

I resisted the temptation to laugh so I inquired if I might ask her a couple of questions.  She said yes.

I asked if she was a Christian?  She not only said yes, she told me she was saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost.

I asked her why she got saved?  She immediately replied it was so she could go to heaven.

I smiled and asked. . .so if you’re not going to heaven today. . .but at some time in the future when Jesus returns. . .then heaven is your goal?

She didn’t seem very happy with my series of questions at first. . .then she smiled, “You’re right, I believe in goal setting.”

Jesus understood the necessity of goals.

Luke 2:49 says:

“And He said unto them…I must be about my Father’s business.”

Jesus knew what happened to people without goals.

Matthew 15:14 says:

“…if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

Jesus was focused on His goals.

Luke 19:10 says:

“For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost.”

Jesus didn’t let what others thought deter Him from His goals.

John 1:11-12 says:

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

Jesus never let rejection keep Him from fulfilling His goals.

Matthew 10:14 says:

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. “

Are you convinced you need goals?  If you don’t have them. . .don’t fret. . .just get them.

            Vince Lombardi…….Forrest Gump

When it comes to goals. . .you visualize, feel, touch, taste, see and live them.

Charles Schwab visited a millionaire once---Schwab told him he would give him a system that would change his managerial leadership—the millionaire told Schwab if he did, he’d pay him $1 million.

Next day, Schwab gave him a sheet of paper folded over……it contained three points.

1.  Make a List….2. Put the priorities in order….3. Do the list.

The millionaire crumpled the paper—“A million dollars for that?”

Schwab said, “I told you I’d give you the greatest secret of management ever written.”

There’s proof for the three points.

Several years back USA Today gave out the following statistics about people who had set New Year’s Resolutions the year before.  4% of the people who made the resolutions put them in writing…none of the others followed through…46% of those who put them in writing and followed through achieved the resolutions.

Napoleon Hill, “What is the average number of times a person tries to achieve a new goal before they give up?”

Less than one.

Get a spiral notebook where you can keep goals…for the rest of your life.

Most people who teach about goals…tell you to think about your goals each day. 

Don’t think of your goals, think from your goals.

ACTION IDEA # 5

LEARN TO INCREASE  YOUR PRODUCTIVITY BY 1000%.

If you work on yourself continually, you can increase your productivity, performance and output by 1/10th of 1% (1/1000th) each working day.  Does that seem impossible?

1/10th of 1% each day translates into approximately ½ of 1% each week.

½ of 1% each week translates into 2% per month.

2% improvement per month translates into about 26% improvement in productivity, performance and output each year.

Almost anybody can increase productivity, performance and output by 26% each year.

An improvement of 26% each year, compounded per years, means you will double your productivity, performance and output in 2.7 years.

Over the course of 10 years by improving yourself by 1/1000th per day (1/10th of 1%) 26% per year, you will increase your productivity, performance and rewards by 1,004%.

ACTION IDEA #6

BUILD VALUE IN WHAT YOU DO.

Legion

Make a list of all the things you do on your job over the course of a month.

Don’t be concerned about how long the list is.

Now you must ask the key question….   If you could only do one thing on your list all day long, which one activity would contribute the greatest value to your company?

Once you identify it.

Identify # 2

Identify # 3

These three items will account for 90% of all the value you contribute to your company.

Everything else should be delegated or outsourced.

Stephen Covey who wrote the “7 Habits Of Highly Effective People” said: “Always keep the main thing the main thing.”

ACTION IDEA #7

IT’S TIME TO TAN

I’m smiling as I’m typing this, I’m not suggesting you head to the tanning booth or the lounge chair outside.

When I say T.A.N.. . .I mean, TAKE ACTION NOW.

Robert DeVincenzo

Why should you want to be successful in the everyday world?  Because that’s what Jesus wants for your life.

Jesus knew His Boss rewarded service.

Matthew 25:20-21 in the Amplified Bible says:

“…he who had received the five talents came and brought him five more, saying, Master, you entrusted to me five talents; see, here I gained five talents more.

His master said unto him, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant!  You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much.”                                         

Jesus recognized members of His leadership team that did good work.

Ephesians 2:10 in the New Living Translation says:

“For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Jesus believed in reward motivation for others.

Rev. 22:12 in the New Living Translation says:

“See, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to repay all according to their deeds.”

Less we think our rewards are only eternal consider the words of Mark 10:30 in the Amplified Bible which says:

“Who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.”

God’s desire is for you to experience success in the marketplace NOW.

One more thing. . .

Write this next statement down.

The only way you lose is if you quit.

Personalize it.

The only way <<Your Name>> loses is if <<he/she>> quits.

Jesus taught that you should never give up.

Matthew 10:22 in the New American Standard Bible says:

“And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

Jesus never gave up.

Luke 18:1 in the New Living Translation says:

“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up.”

Jesus never gave up and neither should we.

 

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