You can’t fulfill your destiny on a theory—it takes WORK. None of the secrets of success will work unless you do. You are made for action. Success simply takes good ideas and puts them to work.
What the free enterprise system really means is that the more enterprising you are the more free you are. What we all need is less emphasis on free and more on enterprise.
Listen to Shakespeare: “Nothing can come of nothing.” A belief is worthless unless converted into action. The Bible, a book of faith, talks about work over 500 times. Often, the simple answer to your problems is: go to work.
“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted” (David Bly). What you believe doesn’t amount to very much unless it causes you to wake up from your dream and start working.
You cannot just dream yourself into what you could be. The only time a lazy person ever succeeds is when he tries to do nothing. A famous old saying says it best: “Laziness travels slowly, poverty soon overtakes it.”
When you are lazy, you must work twice. It is always a trying time for a person who is always trying to get something for nothing. Did you notice? We weren’t given apple juice; we were given apples. Some say nothing is impossible, yet there are a lot of people doing nothing every day.
Some do things while others sit around becoming experts on how things might be done. The world is divided into people who do things and people who talk about doing things. Belong to the first group—there is far less competition.
“All men are alike in their promises. It is only in their deeds that they differ” (Moliere). Wishing has never made a poor man wealthy. Robert Half nails it: “Laziness is the secret ingredient that goes into failure, but it’s only kept a secret from the person who fails.”
Tell yourself: “Inspirations never go in for long engagements; they demand immediate marriage to action” (Brendon Francis). If the truth were known, most of our troubles arise from loafing when we should be working, and talking when we should be listening.
There is a man in the world, who never gets turned down, wherever he chances to stray; He gets the glad hand in the populous town, or out where the farmers make hay: He is greeted with pleasure on deserts of sand, and deep in the isles of woods; Wherever he goes there is a welcoming hand—he’s the man who delivers the goods.
(Walt Whitman)
Excerpt permission granted by Insight Publishing
John Mason is an international bestselling author, minister, publisher, executive author coach, and noted speaker. He’s the founder and president of Insight International and Insight Publishing Group. Both organizations are dedicated to helping people reach their dreams and fulfill their God-given destinies.
He has authored thirty-two books including An Enemy Called Average, You’re Born An Original—Don’t Die A Copy, Let Go of Whatever Makes You Stop, and Know Your Limits Then Ignore Them which have sold over 2 million copies and are translated into 40 different languages throughout the world. His books are widely regarded as a source of godly wisdom, scriptural motivation, and practical principles. His writings have been published twice in Reader’s Digest along with numerous other national and international publications. Seven of his books have reached number one on Amazon bestseller lists.
He’s been the president of two Christian publishing companies. He’s also a former Vice President and Publisher for Thomas Nelson Publishers (Harper Collins), the 6th largest book publisher in the world and largest Christian publisher.
He’s an internationally recognized executive author coach, helping numerous prominent authors with their books for more than thirty years. Politicians, NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB, an Olympic gold medalist and other professional athletes, billionaires, businesspeople, pastors, ministers, New York Times bestselling authors, a Fortune 500 CEO, Navy SEALs, Top Gun pilots, and a Texas governor have all benefitted from his knowledge.
Known for his quick wit, powerful thoughts, and insightful ideas, he is a popular speaker across the US and around the world.