The University of Hard Knocks is the primary institution of higher learning from which most folks get their best education. However, that statement does not necessarily mean that it is the best and easiest place to learn. I have come to understand that there two separate and distinct methods of learning for a person who truly desires to upgrade their life and lifestyle. You can either (1) learn from my broken nose or you can (2) learn from your own broken nose. I ask you,….which of these two ways appears to be the least painful for you?
The sad and typical facts are that most folks, even after they have been asked the very same question I just posed to you, will most usually reject learning from their neighbor’s or mentor’s experiences, and choose to gain their education through the most expensive and painful channel of their own experiences. I mean after all, why would anyone want to take the least painful and the least expensive ways of learning? It just appears to be the foolish flesh that always wants to do things the hard way. I guess that is the reason they call it the University of Hard Knocks.
I learned from my military days that the best way to cross a mine field is to…follow somebody! When you finally get to the point that you realize that you do not know everything and that you can learn from someone else’s mistakes just as well as your own,… you will finally conclude that learning from other successful people’s training is definitely the best, cheapest, and wisest way for you to become knowledgeable. I mean, after all, how many times do you need to sit on a fully charged electric fence before figuring out that it is loaded? It is indeed the wise man who learns from the experience and knowledge gained by other’s trials and errors.
The wise man, before he starts a new journey–even if he is a seasoned traveller,–always spends some planning and learning time regarding his travel route to his planned destination. He wants to well know where he is going and how he is going to get there,…. before his journey begins!
To insure your chosen travel route to your planned destination of success begins at the proper point and starts you off in the right direction, please permit me to share with you four different determinations that you should consider in detail and then resolve to completion. Doing so I promise will make your journey much more enjoyable and give you much greater chances of success all in the most economical way.
The greatest of all successful people are the ones who are best prepared to complete their journey……Preparation needs to be completed before the journey commences. Preparation for success is critically important if one truly and seriously wants to achieve success.
Are you ready to become totally successful?
1. Fully examine yourself (and then repeat this self examination regularly) for areas of weakness. We all find it easy to be strong and powerful when standing or working beside other strong leaders, but not so easy to do when working or standing alone. Make a honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. Seek out other people who can help you avoid or mitigate situations about which you are not knowledgeable or equipped well enough to handle on your own. God wants you to gain the victory; often that will happen with help from other people who know more than you do.
2. Past failures do not disqualify you from service. Throughout all recorded human history, and particularly in biblical times, many people failed God, some of them upon repeated occasions, and yet God still used them in very significant ways. Don’t count yourself out of the fight just because of some thing or some action that you either did or failed to do. God can and will still use you if you will get back into the the fight and make your self willing and available for His plans. You have got to understand that God’s mercy and grace are always ready to pick you back up and put you back on the path of useful service. Your part is to learn from your own mistakes and ask God for His wisdom. Never forget that God is always ready to help you if you are ready to respond to His love, forgiveness, and leadership.
3. Form strong convictions. Even if you are a rather weak leader, don’t have much of a backbone, and have great difficulty standing up for what is right, good, and proper to other people, friend or foe, you can still be used by God. Always remember that you are a leader on some level, whether it is as a parent, businessman, church member, friend, or everyday worker who wants to be a good example to others. Establish your physical, emotional, spiritual, and biblical convictions. Cast them in concrete. Know your absolute limits, i.e. those boundaries over which you will not go. Be willing to stand on and be convicted to those values and boundaries, no matter by whom or for whatever reason you are ever asked to cross them.
4. Be a faithful follower. Followers are an absolute requirement if there is a designated leader present…and there always is, even if they are self-appointed. The single most important thing for a faithful follower to guard against is jealousy or envy for the authority of the leader’s position. The out-of-line follower who possess either one or the other of these characteristics is always easily identified by his own continuous complaining and criticism of the leader. If you are a follower and feel your emotions welling up in you desiring the authority and position of a leader, check your motive. If pride is the basis of your desire, then you are out-of-line and you should curtail your thoughts, words, and actions immediately. Cease and desist any further complaining, and increase your efforts and contribution to the success of the team. The Bible tells you to obey your leader. Obedience starts with being a faithful follower. Pray for your leaders, and ask God to show you more and better ways to show your support for their leadership.
The best leaders are always those people who were first the best followers. In that period of time in which the follower was lead, he or she learned, gained knowledge and wisdom,… grew to know what to do as a leader themselves,… and even learned what not to do once their time to lead came. Leadership is gained from following, growing, learning, and knowing what to do from the people you are following, so that when you become a leader of another group of people, you will be successful and prosper. Be the very best follower your present leader has in his entire organization.
Peace and love to all of you………Poppa Bear