Have you ever thought about what your life would look like if you considered it successful? If you surveyed ten of your closest friends and asked them to define success, what do you think they would say?
In his book, The Traveler’s Gift, Andy Andrews uses fictional character David Ponder and his visits with historical figures such as Harry Truman, Abraham Lincoln, Anne Frank and Christopher Columbus, to share wisdom that has the potential to transform a person’s life and determine personal success. Interestingly, it probably isn’t the things that you think.
The first decision is about taking responsibility for your life. In a society where people seem to always be asking “Why me?” and blaming everything from their parents and spouse to the weather for their problems, Andrews challenges readers to approach life with a “the buck stops here” mentality. Choose to take responsibility for your life. We all have crazy things happen to us that are often out of our control. Maybe the real question is, “Why not me?” How we choose to respond to what happens to us will impact our lives forever.
Learning to seek wisdom is the second decision that will determine personal success. While most people would agree that we live in an age where we have access to all kinds of information, Andrews believes there is a big difference between information and wisdom. There are two ways we gather wisdom, through resources and the associations we create. When people rely only on themselves they make decisions based on what they already know. When we seek the wisdom of others it allows us to add their knowledge and experience to our own and dramatically increase our chances of success.
Deciding to be a person of action is the third decision. Andrews points out that while people can’t do anything about their past, they can decide to do things differently from this point forward. Failure exists only for the person who quits. This decision is characterized by doing something because every time you do something it matters.
Andrews believes that more people fail at what they do because of an undecided heart than for any other reason, so the fourth decision is learning to have a decided heart. People want to follow people who know where they are going. Some people say they are not leaders, but if you are a parent, boss, co-worker or friend, you are leading people whether you like it or not. Being intentional about your decisions and where you are headed is important.
The fifth decision that Andrews challenges the reader with is choosing to be happy. It is so easy to take for granted all of the things we have and the blessings in life. When you choose to be grateful the feeling that often comes from that is happiness.
Greeting each day with a forgiving spirit is decision number six. Forgiveness is a decision that often impacts the forgiver more than the one being forgiven. In many instances, we are our own worst enemy and the one most in need of our own forgiveness. Instead of beating yourself up for all the mistakes you have made in life, choose to have a forgiving spirit toward yourself and others.
The last decision is to persist without exception. Most people quit when the going gets tough. When you persist without exception the game does not end until you say it is over. You have to hold fast to your dreams, stay the course and don’t quit.
Whether you find yourself headed off to college wondering what’s next or you are an adult with career and family responsibilities, this book is worth the read. Be prepared however, for a potentially life-changing experience.
Copyright ©2010 First Things First
