How to Get Ahead

Proverbs 22:29

“Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean [men].”

“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” – ESV

Victims

True victims should be pitied and cared for; those with a victim attitude should not. Oh, we should care, sure, but there comes a point when people need to quit blaming their lack of progress on others.

I know what it is like to lose everything. I know what it is like to go from making good money to having to work multiple jobs just to feed my family. But many will not lift a finger for themselves, while all along condemning those who have worked for what they have. They live as victims of their own laziness.

Just the other day I overheard a conversation a manager was having with an employee. The manager tried to encourage the employee to seek a better position in the company, but the employee would not accept. The reason she gave was that if she moved into a better paying position she would lose some of her welfare benefits. She would rather live on what was given to her than work for anything.

Victors

Look at the working man. Look at what he is doing and how he is doing it. He is diligent, which means he does the best he can as promptly as he can. He cares about his work, no matter what that work is.

There once was a waiter at  a particular restaurant. One day the restaurant changed their menu and began offering Pepsi instead of Coca-Cola. When a customer was saddened by the change, the waiter went around the corner to a convenience store, bought a Coke, and brought it to the table. He was diligent in his business.

Not long after the Pepsi/Coke incident we discovered the waiter had left the restaurant! When we asked where he went we were informed he had been promoted – to manage his own restaurant!

Visible

When a person wants to get ahead in life, the last thing he needs is to be invisible.  Look at the man who does his best and works hard – look at the man who hones his skills and fine-tunes his gifts – and you will find a man who gets noticed.

If you want to be considered worthy to stand in the presence of kings, do work that is worthy to be noticed by kings.

Don’t be a victim – be a victor! You will get noticed.