YOUR INPUT DETERMINES YOUR OUTPUT
It is a general saying that whatever you put into life is what you get. You do not deserve what you get in life but what you put into it. Successful people are those who have been able to put something or add significantly to the society or the environment they find themselves.
Successful people know that without input there can be no output. When we talk about input, we are referring to the things that you do to bring out the results you desire. Success or failure is the outcome of things we do to make our dreams come through. The word input means contribution, participation or effort. Life is about contributing your own quota to the developmental system of the universe. Each and every one of us has been ordained by God to make our own contribution to the advancement of humanity and the world in general. And until you are able to make that contribution, you will not be able to participate in taking delivery of your profit in the earth. Every input requires an effort on the part of the contributor. Effort is a product of exertion of your energy. To make an effort means you have to sweat and one reason why most people will not make effort to do something or achieve great things is because they do not like to sweat. And until you are willing to sweat, you are not ready to become successful. To make a meaningful contribution there has to be an exertion of force. Energy is a product of force and until you apply force you may not be able to bring about changes in those areas of your life where changes are needed.
Successful people work hard to make their dreams a reality. Success is a product of sweat and not sweet; or if you like call it labour. Labour is the input you make in order for the vision and goals you have to come into reality. All through the Bible, we see the scripture talk about labour. Let us look at some references in the Bible to see what we are talking about. “Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.” He that gathers by labour shall increase. So what is labour? It means to work and every work will make you sweat. Working hard is what makes a person to become industrious. So increase is a result of labour. The Bible passage we read earlier says; wealth is gained by fraudulent acts or injustices or evil means does not last. Money has wings and it fly away as quickly as it comes when it is not gotten through the right source. The way it comes is the way it goes. On the other hand, when a man labours to acquire wealth, it tends to increase because wealth obeys spiritual principles. It is a universal principle, that honesty plus work pays, and increase is sure. “In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury”. Proverbs 14:23 (KJV). Here you see the word of God simply emphasize the benefit of hard work. In every labour, there is profit. But when a man only talks and does not back it up with work, he tendeth to poverty. It is not enough to confess. Faith without works is dead. God has instructed every man to work in order to profit. As the Psalmist put it; “For thou shall eat the labour of thin hands: happy shall thou be, and it shalt be well with thee.” Psalms 128:2 (KJV). Here you see the Psalmist speaks of the essence of labour or if like call it work. When you labour with your hands, you will have food on your table, you will also be happy because you labored for it and you did not beg to feed. Finally, success is sure to anyone that labours.
It is through labour that we make input into whatever it is that we are doing or involved in. And the preacher says something that is eye opening concerning the labour of our hand. Here is what he said; “And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God” Ecclesiastes 3:13 (KJV). Look at that; “Enjoy the good of all his labour”, so there is good to enjoy in all your labour. The good is your rewards, success or the outcome. Success is not accidental discharge; it is something you can predict if you follow through the laws of success. The preacher went on to say; “Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat therefore, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 (KJV). The preacher says when a man labour and he profit from his labour, it is his portion. It is also the gift of God, a privilege from God.
Labour is one of the price you pay to become successful, and with the scriptural references we have just examined, you can see that your labour has a lot to do with you being successful. It is through labour that you are to turn your ability into productive. What does it mean to labour? It means to work with your hands. It is a process of carrying out an assignment or working to fulfill an objective, aim or purpose. Your work is an input that will determine the output or outcome of your life. God created you to succeed in life, but ninety percent of what you do will determine the outcome of your life.
Every visionary or dreamer has the ability to make his or her dreams a reality but only few succeed and make the most of life, because they are willing to pay the price it requires. Some are failures not because they don’t have what it takes to succeed, but because they just refused to try again. There is nothing a man cannot do in this life, if only he sets his heart to work it out. The word of God says we should work with our own hands. “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you”. 1 Thessalonians 4:11. (KJV).
“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and determination whether we win or lose; we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand” Vincent Lombard. The truth is that God only promised to bless the works of our hand. If GOD SAYS He will prosper the works of our hands, and if we are not working with our hands, it means there is nothing God can do. Some people may say life is not fair and that some people are more favoured than others. It is not only those who are favoured that make it or succeed in life. There is no failure in this world but only those who refuse to try once more. Life is full of circumstances, but it is those circumstances that form or become a stepping stone to success in life. There is a giant within you, do not let the circumstances of life kill that giant in you. In most countries of the world today, there are no jobs, so if nobody employs you, then employ yourself, there are so many opportunities all around you. Take advantage of them to do what you have never done and you will see that you will begin to achieve what have never achieved before.
Those who work today will rest tomorrow. Work cannot kill a man but it can make success out of him. If you will live to rest tomorrow then work today. Even Jesus being the Son of God and God said, “I must work the works of Him that sent me, why it is day for the night comes when no man will work”. Let us read from the Bible; “Jesus saith unto them, my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish his work”. “I must work the works of Him that sent me while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 4:34; 9:4. (KJV). Jesus Himself says; “I must work” so if the Son of God Himself then what makes you think that you will succeed without work. There is coming a time in your life when you can no longer do the things you can afford to do today, so make good use of today. You can only get out of life what you put into it.
Life is full of opportunities but many see it as an obstacle. And behind every obstacle is an opportunity to excel, break boundaries and move to a new level of life. Most opportunities in life have storms of life wrapped around it. The storms of life are designed to make success sweet and life colourful. There is no life without storm, but the storm can become your platform of victory. Never say it is finished until you get to the end.
There is no man that cannot make it or succeed, if only he can keep doing what he is supposed to be doing, no matter how long it takes. Therefore, it is not a matter of doing it right but doing the right thing. If you start out doing the wrong thing, no matter how hard you try, you may never get the right results. So make sure you are not just doing things right but that you are also doing the right thing. Working does not equal results but the right work coupled with vision. Successful have learnt how to stick to what works for them and discard what does not work. Do not ever forget that god created you to be a success. So, to die a failure is to be a disappointment to your generation.
So no matter where you are today, and what is happening to you right now, there is more to life than what you see today. “You see things and you say; “why?” but I dream things that never were and I say “why not?” George B. Shaw.
To be successful in life, you must dare to do the things you fear most by working hard. Many years ago, God said to me, “son work hard to be successful, because men love to identify with success. Life is full of success, if only you will dare to work hard and do the things it requires.
