Last week, I spoke about things I realized that were a hinderance to me as I sought to achieve my goals. In this week's post I will talk about concepts that consistently helped me every time I succeeded in achieving my goals. They can be summarized as a four letter acronym: PPPW (Pray, Picture, Ponder, Work)
Pray. Once I accepted Christ as my Savior, God as my Father, and the Holy Spirit as my Helper, Teacher, Guide, and Counselor, I understood the importance of asking for His help and guidance in everything. Now, when I feel as if I need to make a change, I ask Him first and do my best to follow His lead.
Picture. Each time, envisioning my goal began with a desire to do something, avoid something, or create a solution to a problem. What is the driving force behind a goal you are trying to accomplish? Can you picture the end result?
Ponder. I cannot emphasize the importance of pondering (to think carefully about something for a noticeable amount of time). Each time I wanted to do something new, I would take time to think about what I wanted to do, what I would have to do to get there, and how I would be successful. I wondered what would make me stand out from the crowd or why people would want to use my services.
Here is a perfect example: At one point in my life, part of my retail business was selling lottery tickets. I knew nothing about gambling and wondered why anyone would make a special stop in a mall to purchase tickets from me when they could buy tickets in other more convenient places like the gas station or grocery store. As I sat thinking, I came up with this plan: If I was fast, accurate, knowledgeable, and friendly they would come. I developed this portion of my business on those four principles. The result was that I was highly successful, becoming number one in ticket sales in three counties and number nine out of 7,500 retailers.
Work. After pondering and coming up with an answer, I would relentlessly pursue achieving the goal.
"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." - Mother Teresa
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