What does SUCCESS look like in 2021?
Young people are surrounded by what success looks like. Media outlets showcase that success is steeped in beauty, found in riches, surrounded by cars, motorbikes, boats and yachts, even to the extent of living in places of extreme wealth. Is this what you believe too?
Travel Guides NZ comes out of a Covid-19 global lockdown. It was originally created to highlight the beauties of those cities we'd never get to, except for when we were dreaming. Glamorous locations like Tokyo, Bologna and Sri Lanka. But when Covid looked like it would stay for 2021, producers came up with a new concept: Local Tourism. If you haven't checked out the show, it's filled with comical moments as five families travel up and down the Land of the Long White Cloud, showing us the do's (and don'ts) of local travel. It would definitely be a Bucket List 'must see' the next time we're in lockdown!
OK, what does Travel Guides NZ have to do with success?
Simple really. Our vision and thoughts of what success looks like, can sometimes be too extreme, and it's only in moments when we are brought back to earth that we realise that the answers that we have been looking for, have been present in front of you the whole time. As Covid-19 caused TV producers to rethink how tourism could be better informed and stay relevant, we too are called to pause and reflect on our own backyard.
Frankly, I've been on the "Pacific Road to Success" where the expectations, the hopes and the dreams of parents can be lauded over the next generations, but not with ill intent. I've seen myself climb the "ladder of success" only to find that I wasn't really going anywhere. From the outside, people assumed that I was successful - I held the titles, I was going places, I looked good and provided what the people needed. I was the bridge between the young and old. I was a pair of "safe hands" for the transition between old school and new school.
Matthew 16: 26-27 states:
What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
Matthew 16: 26-27
So, in all honesty, it was an essence of my being, and not my true self. The journey of realisation has led me to understand that the definition of success actually comes to fruition when you know who you are, and the people that surround you, accept you for that. Nothing more, nothing less.
If you're on a journey to climb that ladder of success in 2021, be sure to be equipped before you take that first step. Proverbs 16:3 states: "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans". If you want to be successful, it doesn't need to be impossible. But uplifting it to the Lord should be the beginning to how it will bear fruit in the future. Happiness and success go hand in hand, so be mindful to note that your journey is filled with things that make you happy, keep you positive and uplifts your spirit.
May 2021 provide you with all the success that you define.
Be certain to keep Him at the fore and nothing shall hinder your path.
Love & light,
by F K Tu-Faleupolu
- How do you measure success in your own life?
- How might success?
- Who might need prayer in relation to todays Blog?