Why do so many people fail, while only the few are really successful? Could if be luck, or are there definite reasons? Youth 83 Editor-in-Chief Herbert W. Armstrong shows that there are specific steps that lead to true success in his booklet, The Seven Laws of Success. In this series of studies we're backing up the material in that booklet with other useful and important information to help you not only avoid failure, but achieve tremendous success. Last month, in the first of this series, we learned that there are definite laws that, if followed, lead to true and lasting success in life. As we discovered, the first of these laws involves knowing where you are headed where you are going in life. The key to this is setting meaningful and worthwhile goals. We learned of the absolute necessity of having the right overall goal in life — that of ultimately becoming a member of God's universe-ruling Family! Only after having this No. 1 goal in mind can a person begin to work toward setting and achieving secondary goals. But once we have the right goal as our life's aim, and appropriate secondary goals as discussed in the previous study, what next? The next logical step is the preparation necessary to achieve these goals. This involves education — the second vital law of success! In this study you will learn why this second law is so important, as well as how to apply it
If your goal is to play the flute, you must prepare yourself — learn proper techniques.
in your life. But, before you begin, don't forget to get your Bible, a pen or pencil and some paper. Reading and writing out the Bible verses that answer the questions asked in this study will help you to remember the important principles you'll be learning. 1. Should we desire to become educated — to receive instruction and knowledge? Proverbs 22:17-18, 23:12, 23. Does a prudent, or wise, person want to be well educated? Proverbs 15:14, 18:15. As the wisest (I Kings 4:29-31) and one of the most educated men of his day, Solomon advised young people to apply themselves diligently to learning and instruction. He understood that in so doing, a person will be laying a vital foundation for future success in life! A quality, well-rounded and balanced education is essential to achieving real success. Not only does it include learning the skills necessary to earn a living, it also include s learning how to live. Such an education involves understanding the meaning and purpose of human life and how to attain it. It also includes learning the true values in life, as well as the laws that God has set in motion to produce real and lasting happiness. 2. Where do we find this all-important knowledge? II Timothy 3:15-17. Were the Scriptures written for our learning? Romans 15:4. Should we take time to study God's Word? II Timothy 2:15. God's instructions to mankind have been preserved for us in the Bible. In it God has revealed the most essential and most basic knowledge we need to know — knowledge that could not be obtained anywhere else. As the foundation of all knowledge, the Bible shows us the way to peace, happiness, abundant well-being and lasting success. It contains vital instruction on subjects such as sex, marriage, money management, jobs and gelling along with others. Also found in the Bible are accounts of great men and women — men like Abraham, Moses, David, Christ; women like Ruth, Hannah and Sarah. Take time to read about the lives of these individuals and you will learn valuable lessons and principles that you can apply in your life. 3. Does God want us to be continually learning more about His way of life — the way that leads toward the No. 1 goal in life? Colossians 1:9-10, II Peter 3:18. Once one has come to understand that he should be preparing for his primary goal in life, he should then focus on preparing to achieve his secondary goals. But whatever these goals, he must acquire the education, training and experience necessary to achieve them. Suppose you have musical talent and want to become a professional musician. You must develop your talent through many years of diligent study and practice before being able to perform with a high degree of proficiency. No matter how much natural ability a person has, it must be developed. And development comes through further training and education — through application of the second Jaw of success. Like many young people, you probably hope to eventually have a satisfying and rewarding career that pays well. You might like to become a teacher, businessman, engineer, computer programmer, forest ranger or perhaps a journalist. Specialized education is necessary to prepare you to enter any of these, and many other professions. Talking to your school's career guidance counselor will help you to understand the type and amount of education necessary to enter a profession you might be considering. Also, be sure to speak with professionals already active in their respective fields. 4. Were Daniel and his three friends skilled and well educated young men? Daniel 1:3-4, 6. Were they selected, therefore, to receive additional education that prepared them to assume top government positions in the Babylonian Empire? Verses 4-5, 17-20, 2:48-49. As young men preparing for the future, Daniel and his three friends took their education seriously. Because of this, and their obedience to God, they were greatly rewarded for their efforts, illustrating the principle found in Proverbs 22:29. Follow the example of these men by learning all you can while in school. Apply yourself diligently in all your classes. Be interested in what you study. Don't study just to pass a test. Study to learn. Think of interesting ways to apply what you're learning. Strive to make your learning experiences, both in and out of school, enjoyable and exciting. Doing well in school will help you to lay a vital foundation for future success! 5. A large part of education involves listening to the advice and counsel of others. Will a wise person hear and by doing so increase learning? Proverbs 1:5. Will he obtain a multitude of counsel? Proverbs 11:14, 12:15, 15:22, 19:20. Education not only involves listening to the instruction and counsel of others, it also involves being well informed through reading. Whether in or already out of school, take time to read profitable, useful and educational material. Books, especially autobiographies and biographies of successful men and women, can inspire, stimulate and motivate you to greater achievement and success! Biographies of such people as Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower, Queen Elizabeth, Golda Meir, Anwar Sadat and others are profitable reading. Keeping up with world news by reading a daily paper and a weekly newsmagazine is also valuable and worthwhile. This will help you to better understand world events and the problems facing society today. 6. Can important lessons be learned by carefully observing our environment? Proverbs 24:30-34, especially verse 32. Be alert and aware of all that occurs around you. Think about, analyze and try to understand the reasons and causes behind even the common, ordinary events. Remember: To be a real success in life, you must apply the first two laws of success. You first set your goals in life. Then you must acquire the education to achieve them. But applying the first two laws of success is not enough. The degree to which you become truly successful in life will also depend on how well you follow the third law of success! (To be continued)
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