Top row center young Troy Vincent Sr. surrounded by fellow Miller Phillies baseball teammates of N. Trenton, New Jersey

By Troy Vincent Sr.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”–Jeremiah 29:11

Ever wonder why some people seem to be successful all the time and others don’t? Ever notice those who appear to succeed at everything they touch? While it may seem effortless from the outside, successful people are intentional about their success. They are in tune with themselves and what they are good at, and they apply a discipline to their lives that result in success. They transform good to great, great to exceptional.

The late Dr. Myles Munroe inspired me greatly. He said that God designed success into His creation and that all of our lives are designed for good success. We have to find our purpose. If we know our purpose, we have vision. Vision determines our discipline. Discipline produces results. Success is truly predictable. If you set your mind to accomplish something and discipline yourself to it, you are likely to be successful—even if unforeseen circumstances deter you for a time.

Pursuing purpose leads you to the road of success. Self-discovery requires patience and focus. Muting the naysayers and amplifying God’s voice positions you towards purpose and brings vision into focus. We do ourselves a disservice if we allow our purpose to be eclipsed by the lure of material and superficial things. Stuff does not constitute success. We witness the mirage of success all the time. We get duped by the material things and assume that equals success. Truly successful individuals know that success showed up long before they had anything. It is the intangibles that produce the tangibles. The tangibles actually aren’t material things at all. Success is displayed by the positive impact you make in the lives of people. Your success should spawn the success of others.

Success requires purpose. As you consider how to be successful, answers these questions: Who am I? Where am I from? Why am I here? What can I do? And Where am I going? Once you have the answers to these five “W’s”, you can establish your purpose in life, your true North Star. When you walk in your purpose, you will be on the path to success. You will have thoughts of peace, a future, and hope.

Ask yourself: What am I doing today to make my success intentional?