No. 201 - THE LADDER OF SUCCESS

No. 201

Jim Davidson...NEWSPAPER COLUMN

THE LADDER OF SUCCESS

This past Tuesday evening I got a phone call from a young man who lives in Littleton, Colorado. He had been out in Glenwood Springs recently and had read one of my columns in the Glenwood Post where I had discussed the importance of setting goals. He called to see if this particular column was part of a series, and if so, how he might obtain some additional information. He was very forthright and told me that he was thirty one years of age and had never gotten on track or achieved anything worthwhile during his lifetime.

The reason I have decided to share his anonymous but true story is because it is representative of many, many people (men & women) all across this great country. This young man began by saying that he had an idea that he thought had some potential. He was working the early morning shift for UPS, the parcel delivery service, and was earning enough money to get by but his idea was to develop a sports trivia periodical and distribute it to sports bars in the Denver area. In his mind he could see men and women who had come to the sports bar to have conversation and drinks discussing his trivia offerings and having a great time doing it.

On the surface this sounded like a great idea but I began to question him about how his product would be printed and distributed and if people in a dimly lit environment would have sports on their mind and if they would actually read it. He admitted that this was something that he had not given a lot of thought to. As a sidebar, Im sure a lot of people who frequent bars have fun but Ive always thought a bar was a place where many people go to forget their troubles and drown their sorrows.

At this point I began to share some positive thoughts with him that hopefully will make a difference in his future and his life. I talked with him about his personal success and then shared the story of the man who spent his life climbing the Ladder Of Success and when he got to the top he found that the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall. You see, we can spend our entire life pursuing things that in the end do not really matter because they do not last and produce real, deep satisfaction. Even after all the money and material success there is still a hole or void there.

Now keep in mind that he called me and because I cared about him I asked him about his faith because that is the foundation for a happy, joyous life that will endure forever and ever. He said he had planned to visit some churches in the area and I hope he does. Its my prayer that he will find a church home and a loving church family that will nurture him. Once he begins to search for truth and look within himself, he will find a source of strength and courage that he never knew existed. As he discovers who he really is and then begins to think of ways to be of service to others, all kinds of career opportunities will open up for him.

Granted, he may need to go back to school or get more training but he will have a purpose and a reason to get our of bed each day. He will also understand the forces of this world that will beat him down and keep him discouraged if he gives in or gives up. While I may never know the final outcome, I just wanted this young man to know that I cared enough to share the best information I had. To me, anything worth doing is worth doing right and if we are going to spend our lives climbing the Ladder Of Success, we need to make sure when we get to the top that it is leaning against the right wall. (Jim Davidson is a motivational speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)