Recognizing Success

Recognizing Success
by Marilyn Mackenzie


The motivational speaker Zig Ziglar says that we're all on our way to success. Why? Because each of us has a portion of the traits necessary to be successful: assertiveness, kindness, a caring spirit, commitment, competency, confidence, consistency, creativity, dependability, energy, etc. Each of us has received a portion of these traits. Developing and increasing them, then, is the key. And using them helps increase them.

Have you ever heard the story of Spindletop, the most famous oil well in history? Just outside Beaumont, Texas, a farmer was having difficulty surviving with just his farming income. He owned a large farm, but there had been a drought, and his crops hadn't been as bountiful as they had in the past.

When an oil company executive offered to pay him royalties for drilling rights on his land, the farmer agreed. You guessed it. They hit oil - so much oil that over a hundred thousand barrels of oil flowed before they were able to cap and control that oil well.

Did this farmer become an instant millionaire? Some would say so. But, in reality, he was a millionaire all along, because the oil lay underground all along. What it took was someone placing a value on the oil and discovering it, for it to become valuable.

People are the same way. It's only after we realize and discover our strengths, our abilities, and the gifts that God has given us, that we can begin to use them - in our spiritual lives, our personal lives, and in our careers.

Whether you're a parent or a company manager, helping the individuals in your care discover and develop their strengths and abilities is an important task. Management classes suggest that we treat people as if they already are the successful individuals we want on our team. Treating people as if they are creative, dependable, honest, hard-working, and enthusiastic could be the key to helping them become so. Why not give it a try?