From Success to Significance

It's never too late to begin again

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I’m grateful for the strong response to the John Maxwell ‘Beyond Success’ cohort that I will be leading. I only have 2 slots open. If you’re serious about pursuing significance, join us. Details here: Beyond Success

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I had another post planned for this week, but something happened a couple of days ago that hasn't happened in 7 years. I didn’t remember that it was September 26th. Why does that date matter? It was the day everything changed for me. Since that time, my life has shifted in many ways, mainly for the better. The things I cared about so much back then now feel like they belong to someone else.

As always, I want to share stories from my life that may prompt you to reflect on your own life. Wherever you are right now, I want you to hope for a bright future for you and your family. May you know that you are loved and cherished by your Creator. May you know without a doubt that you were made for a great purpose. That, in fact, YOU were created to do something significant with your life. That’s my prayer for you on this Sunday.

Here’s my post from 2023.

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This past week was a milestone for me and my family. On a Wednesday night, September 26, 2018, to be exact, I found myself in a small Arkansas hospital fighting for my life. I had surgery to remove a bacterial infection that had traveled from my lungs to my brain. Before that day, I’d been in the best shape of my life. I was hyper-focused on advancing my career and climbing the ladder.

Brain MRI from 2018

Brain surgery wasn’t in my plan. But five years later, I can say that I am thankful for this experience. I wouldn’t be who I am today if this had not happened. I had bought into the idea that achieving outward success would bring internal fulfillment. Yet as I was recovering at home for 3 months after the surgery, I had nothing but time to think about what my life truly meant and what I was put on this earth to do. God spoke to me through prayer, family, friends, music, and many tears. Over time, I realized that I’d gotten it all wrong.

Concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl said, “If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. “

I was determined to extract meaning from my experience. Here are some of the things I learned:

1. A life worth living points toward others. I was too focused on myself before this event. I had to make my life about adding value to other people, not myself. Success is about me alone. Significance is about others.

2. We are here for a short time, and I want my life to count. You may die with a huge, medium, or small pile of money, but one thing is sure: we all die. I want to live for something greater than my own comfort.

3. We all have scars. I have one on the right side of my head that reminds me that God kept me here for a reason bigger than myself. You have scars too. Some are visible while others are on the inside. They don’t disqualify you. In fact, you are now standing on the foundation of all your life experiences, and you have something of value to share with the world. Your time is now!

I don’t care where you’ve been or what lies have been spoken to you about your future, about your potential. You were born to do more than just store up wealth and comfort for yourself. You were born to do something great with your life. It’s never too late. You’re not too old.

Today is a great day to start!