What Successful People Pay Attention To

Genesis 50:20

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

I love the Joseph story. He seems to be spiritually awake all the time. In chapter 50 we see his heart and we catch a glimpse of his “method”. What is going on in his head?

Joseph was the victim of his brother’s jealousy. He was imprisoned in a pit and sold as a slave. This sinister episode could have ruined him and his family as well. But that does not happen. Instead, Joseph is blessed and finds the ability to forgive his brothers (Gen 50:15-21).

The focus of Joseph’s words in this verse is very helpful for me. Consider how his attention shifts.

From the negative to THE POSITIVE. Positive thinking is not a solution for everything, but it does help most things. If you imagine yourself dunking the basketball as you prepare for the big game, you are more likely to do just that when you get the ball. Tell others you will get something done and you increase your chances of doing it. Embrace hope in God and the whole world looks different.

From the random to THE PURPOSEFUL. Bad luck, eh. To have nasty brothers who want you dead, then to work for a man whose sleazy wife get’s you imprisoned, and then to make friends with jail-buddies who forget all about you when they are released. It’s enough to make you spit. However, by the end of the story we see the golden thread that winds through all this nonsense. Joseph’s wisdom is to grasp onto that thread as early and as often as possible (Gen. 45:4-8). And even when he can’t find God’s plan, he seems to keep on acting as if he knows it is there. To trust God’s heart through the disappointment and pain of the moment is the path to real success.

From self to OTHERS. Perhaps the hardest focus to maintain when things aren’t going well is the focus on others. The Joseph story reminds me that a personal loss today may be a strategic element of how I will serve others tomorrow. Could God use me to “save many lives”? Surely that’s a good reason to take a little heat in my life.

These three attention-shifts inspire me. It is worth noting that for a large part of Joseph’s life he was unknown. He didn’t do these things and succeed immediately. He built up a track record of faithfulness until this way of paying attention – noticing the positive, the purposeful and others – was his conditioned response.

It also needs to be said that Joseph wasn't perfect. He seems to toy with his brothers in Chapters 42 - 44 and we are not sure if he is going to forgive or not. Is he testing them? Is he also being tested? Facing his tormentors after all those years must have challenged him profoundly. To his credit he chooses to pay attention to the positive, the purposeful and the 11 brothers standing in front of him. In the end he blesses them. Again he is successful!

Perhaps I could think of each challenging experience in my life as an exercise in “paying attention”. I need to lookout for the Positive, the Purposeful and what might be in it for Others. It is what eternally successful people do.

Questions

What do you enjoy about the Joseph Story?

How do you keep a right attitude when things don't go well?  

Another post about Joseph: Three Crazy Career Moves That Worked