Memories Are Not Dreams

 

Success-minded people know that the greatest enemy to today’s success is yesterday’s success. What do I mean by that? Well, for many, they are willing to strive and work to succeed, but once their success comes, they stop trying. You cannot live off past success. Once you stop striving, you start to go backward. You never standstill. As IBM’s Thomas J. Watson said, “Whenever an individual or a business decides that success has been attained, progress stops.”

This is why vision is so essential to the success-minded person. They look beyond the current goal and see the long term. Author J. Oswald Sanders stated, “Eyes that look are common; eyes that see are rare.” Too many people want to get the goal achieved; the job is done. They think that once they have finished, it is over and they can relax. Success-minded people see that the job is never done. Today’s success is the stepping stone for tomorrow’s success.

“Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.”

Doug Ivester

American Businessman

 

It is when we have a dream that is bigger than what we can achieve, that we have the greatest success. Success-minded people believe that God has created them for a lifetime of success, not just for an event. You can see them as they go from one achievement to another. It is the goal that gives them life and moves them on. Speaker and entrepreneur Jim Rohn tells us, “If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build, end up building us.”

Do not allow your thoughts of what was, steal what can be. You cannot recapture the past, even the good parts. What was yesterday’s victory is only today’s memory, nothing more? As a success-minded person, you must always be looking for the next achievement, the next goal. Feed on the energy and the excitement of the adventure. It is not just keeping busy; it’s achieving something. Athlete Bill Copeland said, “You’ve removed most of the roadblocks to success when you know the difference between motion and direction.”

There is a simple success formula that success-minded people must follow: Learn from the past and leave it behind. Plan for the future and keep the vision clear. Live today, and make it happen. The past is a memory, the future is a dream, but today there is action.

You can learn more about Personal Development from author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey. To get his books, training material, or book him to speak to your church, business, or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   

© 2020 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without the permission of the author.