I enjoy studying people, and I’ve been at it for some time now. If you go to the mall, I’m the guy on the bench with no bags and no intention of shopping. You’re the reason I’m there. I’m watching you and hundreds more in hopes of discovering something new. One of my discoveries is how funny people look when they are mad (have you ever noticed that a lot of mall shoppers are mad?). If they had any idea how silly they looked fussing at their spouse they’d save their little fit for later.

Another, more serious discovery I’ve made is the role fear plays in motivating people. And, one of the greatest fears in our country is the fear of failing. Everyone on the planet wants to win, but Americans hate to fail! So, each morning, millions of us wake up driven by this passion to climb the ladder of success. Amazingly, most Americans successfully navigate the pitfalls, overcoming sometimes ridiculously huge obstacles. And, at the conclusion of their lives, many of them stand triumphantly at the top of the success ladder. Ah, sweet victory! The only problem is, more often than not, they discover in the end that their success ladder was leaning against the wrong building! I have to believe that the greatest fear in our lives should NOT be the fear of failure but rather the fear of succeeding at the wrong things. Hmmm . . . so many wrong things . . . what’s the right thing?

Before God created you, He created something that needed to be done. Then, He created you to do that “something,” and no one on the planet can do that “something” like you can. It’s why you were custom designed with your personality, abilities, and gifts. Friends, that incredible “something” is the “right thing” to lean your life ladder on. It