I know what it’s like to feel like a loser.
Before I began my “tithing experiment” my life was an absolute mess:
- My wife was on the verge of leaving.
- I couldn’t seem to hold onto a job.
- A “good friend” suggested I apply for welfare because it would help with the food shopping.
- I was constantly under a blanket of discouragement in the dark corners of Loser-ville.
So I get not “having your stuff together.”
But Steven K. Scott takes the cake.
He was a below average wage earner who flunked out of nine…count it…nine jobs in his first six years after college. Here’s his “resume:”
Not the best.
It’s hard to believe he is a Christian multi-millionaire, he and his partners built a dozen companies from scratch, and his companies have achieved over a billion dollars in sales.
What Did He Do?
After Scott lost his sixth job he was extremely discouraged. He spoke to one of his best friends, Gary Smalley, about his situation. He told Smalley:
“I don’t understand — no matter what I do, no matter how hard I work, I just can’t succeed.”
Smalley said he would pray about the matter. The next morning he came back and gave Scott a challenge: read a chapter of the book of Proverbs everyday for two years, write down the insights gained, and apply them to work.
He had nothing to lose so he did it.
On job number nine he created a television marketing campaign that doubled the sales of the company he worked for from $30 million to $60 million in only four months. Even though he was only 27, his boss offered to double his salary, promote him to vice president of marketing, and give him a company car.
Instead of accepting the promotion, Scott resigned so he could accept an on offer from Bob Marsh to start a business of their own. And on May 10, 1976, they started their own marketing company with $5,000 to create and test a television marketing campaign for a new product they had acquired. Within nine months their sales had grown to nearly one million dollars…a week!
“Wow! That’s great Mike! He learned some real great marketing techniques. Was that the secret to his success?”
Not quite.
It was the insights he learned from the Book of Proverbs that catapulted him. Here are a few YOU–future Christian millionaire–can glean right now:
1. Scott Learned the Power of Vision Mapping
Scott wanted to be “successful” but he had no clear picture of what that meant.
According to him,
The Richest Man Who Ever Lived (affiliate link), page 462 Kindle
The Bible says,
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverns 29:18 KJV)”
Most people have no vision for what they want in life OR they have a vague, fuzzy, and abstract picture of what they hope to accomplish (to be more successful, wealthier, slimmer, and etc). That’s not having a true vision.
A true vision is a detailed roadmap–where you are, where you’re going, and when you expect to get there. Regarding vision the Bible also says,
“And the Lord answered me, and said, ‘Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.'” (Habakkuk 2:2-3 KJV)
S.M.A.R.T. Goals Lead to Mediocre Results
When most people speak out goal setting they speak in terms of them being S.M.A.R.T:
- Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
- Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
- Achievable (agreed, attainable).
- Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
- Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).
The only problem is the “relevant or (realistic)” component. “Realistic goals” do not change the world–nor do they give birth to superachievers. It’s when we set “impossible goals” that we’re able to maximize our full potential. According to Scott,
Most goal setters set “realistic goals” to avoid failure. But you–future Christian Millionaire–are forgetting about the God factor. You are in partnership with a God who is bigger than any challenge, greater than any obstacle, and can do more than you can ask or think.
Your assignment:
- Get in the Presence of God and ask Him about your goals–This should be done with prayer, Scriptures, praying in the spirit, and etc.
- Write them down–Write down everything you get in prayer. Never mind how far fetched it seems or how impossible it looks…write it down!
- Put dates on the “impossible goals”–Put a date next to them of when you will accomplish it.
- Put them in a place you can seem them everyday–bathroom mirror, vision board, steering wheel of your car, and etc, As long as you can see it EVERYDAY put it there.
- Rewrite them occasionally— There is neuromuscular benefit as you write down your goals: its etched into your mind and subconscious. As you rewite them (checking off goals accomplished, clarifying the ones left, and making new ones) it unconsciously steers your life in that direction. Now you’re no longer a wanderer, you’re a woman and man on a mission!
2. Scott Learned About the Power of Partnership
Scott had tried his hands in prior businesses but he did it without right partnership. When he partnered with Bob Marsh on their marketing company it was different. Marsh had everything Scott didn’t:
- Capital
- Connections
- Administrative/Management skills
- Business Saavy
Scott had the marketing talent.
Together they saw success to the tune of a million dollars a week!
The Bible says,
“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” (Proverbs 13:20)
The term “shall be destroyed” is literally translated “be destroyed” OR ” smart for it!”
The value of partnership can’t be overstated:
- Walk with wise people and get a wise person’s reward
- Walk with fools and get the fools reward
Scott attests to the value of “right” partnership in his success:
He also warns about the turmoil of “bad” partnerships:
Christian Millionaires Know About the Value of Partnership
When you look into the lives of Christian Millionaires you realize this:
No man (or woman) is an island.
The Bible says,
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NKJV)
It was these the value of partnership that caused many Christian millionaires to flourish.
Consider these examples:
- John D. Rockefeller went into partnership with the Clark brothers. After buying them out he went into another partnership with his brother and Samuel Andrews. That business morphed into Standard Oil when he took on additional partners and shareholders.
- S.Truett Cathy went into a partnership with his brother Ben and opened an Atlanta Diner known as the Dwarf Grill. He would go on to open Chik-Fil-A.
- David Green went into partnership with his wife and created Hobby Lobby.
- David Steward Steward went into partnership with Jim Kavanaugh to create World Wide Technologies. The company is now a large, multinational, privately held business with revenues of $9.4 billion in 2016.
- Do Won Chang went into partnership with his wife to create Forever 21. In their first year they made $700,000 in sales. By 2016 their company had sales of $4.4 billion and employed 43,000 people.
Their partnerships allowed them to do more together, than they could by on their own.
Your assignment:
- Determine if you NEED a partner
- Seek God regarding this partner–Man looks on the outside appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. God can see further than you can regarding your potential “partner.” Stay away from people who want a lot but offer little.
- BE a good partner
Conclusion
But what say ye?
- Which principle stuck out to you?
- What other principles correlate the above ones?
- What can you apply today?
Your thoughts…?
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