By Dennis Petersen

 Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness… these are the ‘self evident’ truths that our founders saw as given to us by our Creator.  But what does God’s wisdom guide us to discover about finding the keys to that happiness that everyone wants?

What does it take to experience Providential Prosperity?

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”  3 John 1:2

What Can We do to Tap The Principles of Providential Success?

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”  Joshua 1:8

“But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”  Psalm 1:2

“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”  Psalm 1:3

“If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.”  Ecclesiastes 10:10

See if these principles resonate as true expressions of integrity for your life today.

Life is best lived in service to others. This doesn’t mean that we do not strive for the best for ourselves. It does mean that in all things we serve other people, including our family, co-workers and friends.

Consider others’ interests as important as your own. Much of the world suffers simply because people consider only their own interests. People are looking out for No. 1, but the way to leave a legacy is to also look out for others.

Love your neighbor even if you don’t like him. It is interesting that Jesus told us to love others. But he never tells us to like them. Liking people has to do with emotions. Loving people has to do with actions. And what you will find is that when you love them and do good by them, you will more often than not begin to like them.

Maintain integrity at all costs. There are very few things you take to the grave with you. The Number One thing is your reputation and good name. When people remember you, you want them to think, “She was the most honest person I knew. What integrity.” There are always going to be temptations to cut corners and break your integrity. Do not do it. Do what is right all of the time, no matter what the cost.

You must risk in order to gain. In just about every area of life you must risk in order to gain the reward. In love, you must risk rejection in order to ask that person out for the first time. In investing, you must place your capital at risk in the market in order to receive the prize of a growing bank account. When we risk, we gain. And when we gain, we have more to leave for others.

You reap what you sow. In fact, you always reap more than you sow—you plant a seed and reap a bushel. What you give you get. What you put into the ground then grows out of the ground. If you give love, you will receive love. If you give time, you will gain time. It is one of the truest laws of the universe. Decide what you want out of life and then begin to sow it.

Hard work is never a waste. No one will say, “It is too bad he was such a good, hard worker.” But if you aren’t they will surely say, “It’s too bad he was so lazy—he could have been so much more!” Hard work will leave a grand legacy. Give it your all on your trip around the earth. You will do a lot of good and leave a terrific legacy.

Don’t give up when you fail. Imagine what legacies would have never existed if someone had given up. How many thriving businesses would have been shut down if they quit at their first failure? Everyone fails. It is a fact of life. But those who succeed are those who do not give up when they fail. They keep going and build a successful life—and a legacy.

Don’t ever stop in your pursuit of a legacy. Many people have accomplished tremendous things later on in life. There is never a time to stop in your pursuit of a legacy. Sometimes older people will say, “I am 65. I’ll never change.” That won’t build a great life! No, there is always time to do more and achieve more, to help more and serve more, to teach more and to learn more. Keep going and growing that legacy!

These are core principles to live by if you want to become the kind of person who leaves a lasting legacy.

Bonus…

Would you like some insights on 10 Secrets to Success?

How are you going to find success in life?

Would you believe it all starts with the focus of your thoughts?  What do you think about?

“But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper.”  Psalm 1:2-3.

What makes people successful — really successful — compared to everyone else? Are they smarter or do they work harder? Are they risk takers.  Do they have powerful and influential friends?

 1. How You Think is Everything. “As a man thinks, so is he”

Always be positive. Think Success, not Failure. Beware of a negative environment.

Your beliefs are formed by your thoughts.  You can accomplish your goals only if your thoughts are unwavering. The moment you say to yourself “I can’t” then you won’t.  Never say “I can’t.”   Positive things happen to positive people.

2. Decide upon Your True Dreams and Goals:

Write down your specific goals and develop plans to reach them.

A resolution that isn’t written down is just a dream, and dreams are not goals.  Goals are measurable stepping stones of achievement that track your progress towards your dreams.

3. Take Action. Goals are nothing without action.

Be like Nike and “Just do it”.  Every day try to take some action towards your goals.

4. Never Stop Learning: Go back to school or read books. Get training & acquire skills.

Become a lifelong learner.  Instill that mind set in your kids. Once you’re out of school you realize how enjoyable learning can be. What have you learned today?

5. Be Persistent and Work Hard: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

Every story of success includes long hard hours of work. There is no free lunch. If you’re working toward something you’re passionate about, then is it really work?

6. Learn to Analyze Details: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

Strike a balance between getting all the facts and making a decision with incomplete data – both are traits of successful people. Spend time gathering details, but don’t catch ‘analysis paralyses.

7. Focus Your Time And Money: Don’t let other people or things distract you.

Remain laser focused on your goals and surround yourself with positive people that believe in you. Don’t be distracted by the naysayer’s or tasks that are not helping you achieve your goals.

8. Don’t Be Afraid To Innovate: Be different. Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

Follow through on that break-out idea you have. Ask yourself “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?”

9. Deal And Communicate With People Effectively: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.

Successful people develop and nurture a network and they only do that by treating people openly, fairly, lovingly and firmly.  How do you deal with people?

10. Be Honest And Dependable: Take responsibility, otherwise numbers 1 – 9 won’t matter.

What many people seem to miss is that financial security (what we regard as true economic prosperity) is more than a fat bank account.  Diligence and practicing good principles of personal relationship development puts you in position to have the security of ongoing income even times of economic hardship.

• Determine to be persistent at moving forward – that’s initiative.
• List your goals.
• List your assets, skills, passions, mission, training, aptitudes. What do others say you’re good at?
• Find a work that you love. Even if you have to volunteer on your off hours to do it.
• Find a way to help other people get what they want.
• Find a way to monetize both the above.
• Find a sideline home business you can believe in and a training coach you can trust to tell you the truth. Be sure you’ve checked out the success factors that avoid unnecessary risk and disappointment.
• Get good at doing something that people respect you for and generate fulfillment in you.
• Be willing to re-educate yourself when times and technology change.
• Never stop learning. Be open minded to new ideas.
• Change your social environment if you’re not with the people who are going where you want to go.
• Invest in your self-improvement. Spend money on practical education as well as academic schooling.
• Consider carefully the values of the pursuits you take up. Be true to yourself and your values.
• Decide to make money your servant and develop your business in such a way to prosper others as a result of your activities.
• Determine to find allies who are as passionate as you are to reach goals together and work with them.

In today’s changing world, we all need to find the opportunities and the people who are serious about working together to reach worthwhile goals.  We have ambitious goals to help people reclaim their legacy through the discovery of truths that help them establish the five important pillars of ‘legacy’ that we’ve talked about repeatedly on this program.

If you would like to find out more about how to accomplish the things we’re talking about here, I invite you to revisit this website as we will be adding many empowering articles, recordings and helpful tools.  If you want to discover some inter-connected solutions that could make some very life-changing differences for you, and if you’re ready to make some serious and positive changes in your own future, I’ll direct you to some websites that will help even more.