Special Feature: Walking out of Mediocrity and into a Life of Excellence

It is a time-tested principle of success that in order to make progress, we must constantly forget those things which are behind and reach forth unto those things which are before.

Going by this success principle, it can be disastrous looking back instead of pressing on towards the mark of God’s great plan for your life. On matters of the kingdom, the person who should know, that is,  the Master Jesus, said: “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

Similarly, in the Old Testament book of Genesis, we are told how God’s angels seriously warned Lot and his family members to escape for their life and never to look back. Unfortunately, Lot’s wife looked back from behind and became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26).

In matters of life on earth and in heaven, we can conclude from the above that looking back can be costly and disastrous. Looking back can create a tendency in you to compromise or quit. Looking back can be a sign that you are reluctant or unwilling to continue on the path to success. But no matter how frustrated, discouraged or hopeless you feel, if you will be victorious in life, you must stop looking back at your past failures and defeats.

Saint Paul said: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark of the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:13-14).

Like Saint Paul, we must learn to forget those things which are behind and reach forth unto those things which are before us. We must press toward being the best that God wants us to be.

Looking Back When Necessary

There is, however, an exception to this rule against looking back. The exception is in no way a violation of the general rule against looking back. The exception is more or less a strategy for wining the battles of life. The exception says: “To be highly successful in life, you may look back, not to bemoan your failures and defeats or to be complacent with your successes, but to use them as tools/weapons for planning, strategizing and fighting your way through to greater victory.”

Everything depends on your motive for looking back. Like Lot’s wife, if your motive for looking back is to bemoan all the things you have to forgo in order to achieve victory, then, this can be disastrous. But if your motive for looking back is to enable you to make proper planning and strategizing, then, you are on the path to victory.

Now, as CFVL celebrates its second year anniversary this July 2013, we are not looking back to bemoan our failures and defeats, nor are we looking back at our past successes in order to rest on our oars.

We are looking back in order to assess our performance, shortcomings and imperfections. By so doing, we can plan and strategise in order to successfully carry out our mandate. Our Mandate has been and is to inspire, motivate and teach principles for success, prosperity, abundance and victorious living.

So far, we can say that the implementation of our Mandate has been satisfactory. This is not to say that we did not have some challenges. We had some challenges quite alright. But you see, it is not the challenges that matter, it is the ability to the face challenges and overcome them that matters.

The fact that our two blogs – centreforvictoriousliving.com and centreforvictoriousliving.blogspot.com – are still visible online with regular fresh content is an indication of the victory that we preach. CFVL does not see challenges as an abnormality. Challenges are part of life. Problems, difficulties and troubles are part of life.

The only place you cannot find challenges, problems and troubles is the cemetery. There, everything is calm and peaceful. Dear reader, are you facing some challenges, problems and troubles? These are signs that you are alive. Problems are part of life. And the only way to enjoy life is to spend your life solving problems.

THE MORE PROBLEMS YOU SOLVE, THE MORE SUCCESSFUL YOU BECOME. This is the way the world is made to function. People who learn to handle more problems become super achievers while those who run away from problems deprive themselves of opportunities for greatness.

Are you addicted to the habit of quitting when the going gets tough? Are you always looking back bemoaning your loss, failures and defeats? Then listen: you are not helping matters at all. IF YOU REALLY DESIRE VICTORY, WHAT YOU MUST KEEP LOOKING FOR IS VICTORY. Bemoaning your loss is a sign of defeat. 

You cannot be victorious in life if you keep focusing on defeat. It is what you want that you must keep focusing upon. Do you really want victory? Then, your focus should be on victory.

How to Use Challenges to Urge You On

If you must look back at your failure and defeat, it must be because you want to use them to inspire you to excel. Are you surprised to know that failure and defeat can be used as an inspiration for excellent performance? There is no cause for surprise at all. The fact is: even the negative things that are happening to us can be used to spur us to achieve greater success. To the positive-minded person, everything, including the good, the bad and the ugly, can be used as an inspiration to spur him to be the best that God want him to be.

A preacher once narrated the inspirational story of a lady who used “carry-overs” she had in her first year in the university to spur her to excel and earn first-class degree in Mathematics.

In the words of this preacher, the life of the girl was a life of constant struggle, but was a life of constant victory as well. She sat for JAMB’s UME six times before she eventually passed and secured admission to the university.

In the university, she had financial challenge. In her academic, she also had some challenges. In her first year as a Mathematics undergraduate, she carried over some courses. She thought about these double struggles she was fighting and was disturbed a bit.

“How can I be having financial struggle and academic struggle at the same time? If I cannot handle this financial problem, I should be able to handle the academic problem. I must not allow both struggles to defeat me.”

She brought to bear all her energy on her academics. She worked harder and harder, smarter and smarter, and in the end, she bagged first-class degree in Mathematics, a course that is much dreaded by students!

What an inspiring story! From “carry-over” to first-class! Every university graduate knows that this is a difficult feat to achieve. Even many who never carried over a single course in the university know how difficult it is to aspire for first-class!

What is the lesson here? I think the lesson is that WHEN YOU ARE POSITIVE MINDED, EVEN THE NEGATIVE HAPPENINGS IN YOUR LIFE CAN BE USED AS A SPUR TO URGE YOU ON TO ACHIEVE AMAZING RESULTS.

Dear reader, are you looking back at your past and getting discouraged? You can draw a vital lesson from the life of this female first-class Mathematics graduate. She has been in the thick of the battle – financial struggle, academic struggle, discomfort, etc. But she did not use any of these struggles as an excuse to quit. Instead, she used these struggles to spur herself on to achieve extraordinary result.

What are you doing about those challenges confronting you? Have you sat down to take concrete decision to deal with them? You have to be hard on yourself because life itself is hard. A life of ease or comfort does not lead any where. The Book of Success, the Bible says: “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1).   

You have to fasten your belt and get dissatisfied with your present level of achievement. Get agitated. If you don’t get agitated, you are not likely going to take serious decision that will usher you into the camp of victors.

As CFVL celebrates its second year anniversary, CFVL is urging you to develop a positive mindset so that you can use every negative thing that is happening in your life to inspire you to be the best that God wants you to be.

Until I come your way soon, go and draw inspiration from your past shortcomings and use it to spur you on to achieve the extraordinary! Go and live victoriously!