Feager A. Pertilla, LLD, Director of Education, First Church of God…Center of Hope, Inglewood, California
As educators and leaders we must be successful not only in our places of work but also on a personal level. We can’t be truly successful in business unless we have a firm handle on knowing how to be successful. Mastering the Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success is a great outline of empowerment for those who want to embrace personal success. Being great, successful servant-leaders involves a personal journey of discovery for each of us, and this book outlines the elements that we need to discover.
Andy Andrews says that all of us can attain lasting success. There are seven basic decisions that we should embrace. Through diligent effort and the consistent application of these decisions, we will discover abundant success!
One: The responsible decision. “The buck stops here” (p. xvi). We must take responsibility for the past and must know we are responsible for our success. We need to take responsibility for where we are in order to move forward. Failures are but opportunities for growth and discovery. Failure can be a classroom for the most profound lessons for success. God gave each of us a talent—we must find it, use it, to His glory!
Two: The guided decision. “I will seek wisdom” (p. xvi). The guided decision teaches us to actively seek wisdom to help us craft lives of extraordinary achievement, according to Andrews. Although we can’t change the past, we can use the past to change our actions for the future. Reading (especially God’s Word), taking the counsel of wise men and women of God, and serving others—these activities chart our lifelong search for wisdom.
Three: The active decision. “I am a person of action” (p. xvii). To be successful, we have to take action. We cannot give in to fear, and we must seize today’s opportunities. If we do not choose to act, we are choosing mediocrity. God has given us minds for thinking and for deciding. Decisions can lead to victory, but only if we act on them, in faith and in the now.
Four: The certain decision. “I have a decided heart” (p. xvii). The certain decision fuels our actions! Clarity of vision is directly linked to how effective we will be. When vision is linked with truth, we have two powerful influences. Truth is truth, and it is not dependent on consensus! We need to decide what is important and true and then act on it.
Five: The joyful decision. “Today I will choose to be happy” (p. xvii). Happiness is a choice. Laughter and enthusiasm are fuels that move the world, according to Andrews. True happiness comes from deep within. We must get in the habit of cultivating a grateful spirit. Sharing this grateful spirit with others will breed happiness not only in us but also in others.
Six: The compassionate decision. “I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit” (p. xvii). A forgiving spirit allows us to let go of the past and to embrace the future. When we embrace forgiveness, according to Andrews, our level of personal success becomes boundless. We must learn to forgive to avoid being prisoners of ourselves. Forgiveness is a decision, not an emotion! We are victorious when we have a forgiving spirit.
Seven: The persistent decision. “I will persist without exception” (p. xviii). We need to persist regardless of circumstances. We must hold fast to our dreams because we have the power of choice. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God declares, “For I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). When we commit to the persistent decision, we accept responsibility. We constantly seek wisdom. We never stop being people of action. We have a decided heart, without exception. We choose to be happy every single day. We greet each day with a forgiving spirit. Every decision hinges on decision seven.
Mastering the seven decisions requires that we make a decision and then follow through until we succeed. We can never allow fear, doubt, people, or circumstances to slow us down. When God guides our everyday actions and emotions, we move in faith and not in fear. We can embrace and master these seven decisions and become the leaders that God has called us to be—leading others to success and to lives filled with realized dreams.
Leaders Read 12.3