The Joy of Accomplishment

What a joy it is to accomplish something new! It could be so refreshing to see the end of your toils and labours. It could be finishing a project, completing an assignment, graduation or anything else. The same feeling accompanies each of them. There is that deep sense of fulfilment that goes with accomplishment. The more we have such feelings the more life we add to our existence on earth.

Everyone can enjoy such rapturous feelings but not everyone does. This is because not everyone is accomplishing something of worth. Many are busy, very busy but with little or no accomplishment. If we must have the joy that comes through accomplishment then we must accomplish. We must accomplish things of worth.

The beauty of accomplishment is that it creates an opportunity for joy not only in our lives but in the lives of others. It increases our influence and multiplies our effectiveness. It positions us for greater accomplishments. It builds our confidence and emboldens us. If all these things happen through accomplishment what then does it take to accomplish?

Firstly, there must be a worthy cause. A cause is what makes something happen. Without a cause nothing can happen. You cannot build something on nothing. A cause is a vision. It is a direction that ensures a destination. It is a reason. Life is a cause and is sustained by a cause. So anyone who does not understand the cause of his or her existence will be a wanderer. There is a reason for our existence or else we wouldn’t be alive. If we want to find out the reason for our existence we must get back to the Cause of our lives. That Causeless Cause is God. He alone knows the reason for our existence since He created us. Our lives will have no meaning and know no true fulfilment until we get back to our Maker.

Secondly, when we have found our reason and meaning from God, we will begin to know the required decisions to make and goals to set. This will require mental efforts. God gave us minds so we can think. It takes proper thinking to have a fulfilled life. No man was created a zombie but unfortunately, many spend their lives living like zombies. Thinking is the hardest form of work and that’s why many don’t engage it. It seems easier to live like a robot than to sit down and do some real and critical thinking. For many their brains have been on vacation for many years. A statistic has it that of all humans only five percent think, fifteen percent think they are thinking but are not and eighty percent will rather die than think. The sole reason many lives stink is because they don’t think. The prodigal son of the Bible remained prodigal, wining and dining with pigs and people he didn’t like, living where he didn’t like and doing jobs he didn’t like as long as he refused to think. The day he sat down to think, an end came to his stinking life. He was able to gather the broken fragments of his life and made something beautiful out of it. One moment of real thinking will save you from a lifetime of stinking.

Thirdly, real commitment is a must if we want to have a lifetime of joyous fulfilment. Lack of commitment is a singular most formidable reason why many people fail in life. The reason is that commitment takes up time and energy and many don’t know what and when to give their time and energy. Since we don’t have all the time, we must understand proper time management if we want to succeed. It will actually cost you everything to achieve something of worth. Half commitment is the recipe for failure. It is the cause of failed marriages, businesses and careers. It takes more than contribution to succeed. It takes total commitment.

An illustration from the book ‘2000+ Bible Illustrations’ will buttress this point: “The difference in a contribution and total commitment is usually the difference in failure and success.
A chicken and a hog were walking past a church building one day when they noticed the Sunday morning sermon posted on the outside bulletin board, "Helping the Poor." They walked a ways when the chicken suddenly came across with a suggestion. "Say, Brother Hog, why don't we give all the poor people a nice breakfast of ham and eggs?" The hog thought a moment and replied, "That's all right for you to say because for you it is only a contribution, but for me, it's total commitment!" Jesus succeeded in His mission because He was totally committed to the task before Him. He was willing to give up everything, even His life, for the cause He believed in. No one really succeeds in life until he reaches the point that he is willing to lay down his life. Jesus said, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." Disraeli said, "Nothing can resist a will that will stake even existence for its fulfilment!"”

Finally, the issue of focus comes to play. Broken focus is a serious malady. It is the mother of a thousand failures. It is the harbinger of sorrows and perpetual regrets. You will never succeed without focus. This is because focus fortifies commitment. Focus is concentration. It is determination to succeed in a cause. Focus says no to other good options and pays no listening ear to myriad distractions. It takes patience and endurance to be focused and focus produces desired results. Focus means the main emphasis. The greatest challenge of life is to keep the main thing the main thing. It is so easy to get distracted. Focus requires concentrated effort and that effort is what many don’t want to apply. Fulfilment requires focus. No focus no fulfilment.

I believe it is time to enter the realm of accomplishment and partake of the immense joy it brings. Don’t allow yourself to be shifted out of purpose of God for your life. This is your time.