Is it 50/50?

“In order to be successful, we should do our 50%, and God will put in His 50%.” This is the saying we have often heard as we grew up. But is this really the formula for success? I do not think so.

No one can truly succeed unless he gives his 100% and then stretches beyond what seems humanly possible. This is not about becoming a workaholic. It is about aspiring to become everything God has created us to be.

Seek the Truth

How do I begin?

The first step is to have an ardent desire to know the truth about everything. Ask yourself:

Why am I here on earth?
Who put me here?
What is my purpose?
Where am I going when I die?
Why do I die at all?

Turn to God for the answers. Turn to Scripture and to the teachings of the Church. Read the YOUCAT, the Youth Catechism, or the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). Ask people who can guide you. Go before the Blessed Sacrament and ask Jesus these questions. He will guide you to the right resources and, perhaps, whisper the answers into the depths of your heart.

We come to understand that we are here because our Father in heaven loves us beyond our comprehension, and that our existence has a specific purpose. We begin to realise that nothing truly makes sense without God. In the light of God—His love, creation, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, salvation, eternity and our mission on earth—everything begins to connect, and life starts to make perfect sense.

We come to understand that the cause of all evil and human misery is sin. We discover that our mission is to love like God. Jesus gives us the perfect model, and He is the Way.

To stop living according to our fallen nature and instead aspire to live according to the capacity God has made possible for us through Christ becomes the very purpose and driving force of our lives.

Discover Your Mission

The next step is to identify our specific call or mission on earth.

This task is neither difficult nor easy. It is not difficult because, if we honestly observe ourselves, we will begin to recognise what we are uniquely capable of doing. Yet it is not easy because our human tendency is to look around and ask what is more lucrative or what will bring us greater success in the eyes of the world.

When discerning our mission, we need to forget how others are making money. Money should not be on the agenda at all.

It is our Father’s delight to provide for us when we sincerely seek to do what He wants us to do.

When we hear the word “mission,” some of us may immediately think of full-time preaching or social work. But mission is much broader than that. Mission is the specific contribution that I, as an individual, am capable of making for the good of my fellow human beings and the world at large.

Fulfilling this mission is precisely how I can glorify my heavenly Father and bring Him joy.

My mission will be accompanied by God’s grace, along with the particular abilities and talents He has given me. The fullness of my mission can be achieved only when I partner with God, who ordained this mission in the first place.

Give Your 100%

Once we have identified our mission, we must trust God and persevere tirelessly. We make progress little by little, never losing hope.

The enemy does not want us to do God’s will and will devise ways and means to thwart every step of progress we make. But we know that this enemy is already defeated. Through Jesus Christ, we have authority over him and his works.

We make progress both professionally and spiritually, contributing to our own growth in holiness and to the good of others. We solve problems for others by relying not solely on our own wisdom and ability, but on the wisdom and power of God.

Our success is not measured by how much money we make. It is measured by how faithfully we fulfil our mission and how pleasing our lives are to our Father in heaven.

So give your 100%. And then stretch beyond what you think is possible.

God will give us His immeasurable grace to accomplish the mission He has entrusted to us.

Choose to be different. Start today.