How to Achieve Meaningful Success in Life?

Throughout the first part of my life and career, I was mainly concerned about my position, possessions, achievements, myself, my passion for traveling, my relationships and what people (especially my dad) thought of me. It was me first.

Being successful meant the achievement of my desired visions and planned goals.

And, even though my mother had taught me the love of God during my childhood and teenage years, soon after I left my island (Martinique) in 1993, I only seek the Lord on some Sunday mornings. To be honest, He was not at the center of my life. And I never imagined or even considered that the special gifts, talents, personality, abilities He had put in me could help me find and fulfill my life’s mission.

As a young professional, I cared more about fitting into the culture and pursuing my own plans than trying to understand God’s ways and plans for my life. Needless to say, I didn’t know the meaning of my life.

In less than 13 years, I had traveled to over 25 countries, earned a Master’s degree, worked at two major corporations, where in 10 years, I generated over $43M in revenue in collaboration with global teams & partners. According to the world, I was living a good life. And my life was aligned with the world’s definition of greatness in terms of possessions, prestige, and position. I was feeling good.

But at one point, that feeling faded. My life didn’t satisfy me anymore. It was not good enough. The truth is no matter the achievements, I was often feeling empty inside, alone and without purpose. In my positions, I was always doing my best to exceed my quotas, but I knew I was not making a major contribution to the world. It all seemed worthless.

Something was missing. As they say in Hebrew, I hadn’t find TRUE shalom. Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord according to Strong’s Concordance 7965.

But, I didn’t know exactly what to do next.

The only thing I knew is that I wanted to make meaningful changes in my life in order to add value to my own existence while possibly making a positive difference in the lives of others.

In 2006, when I left the corporate world and relocated to Los Angeles to learn how to start my own business, I also knew I needed to reinvent myself. And one of my goals was to build a deeper and more intimate relationship with God.

Eventually, after I arrived in Los Angeles, I started to attend church more regularly. However, since I was experiencing a honeymoon period, which is one of the four stages of living abroad, my new lifestyle and professional goals were still at the center of my life. But two years later, I started to experience my first life-altering moment. Indeed, early 2008, I put my vision on hold to go back home to assist my family and help my father recover from four consecutive strokes. My entire family was both devastated and hopeful.

Then, end of 2008, when my entrepreneurship journey began, I quickly began to struggle and mess up in my personal relationship and in the early stage of my business’ venture.

And to make matters worse, end of 2010, as a pedestrian, I was left disabled after a horrific accident, which nearly claimed my life and livelihood.

All those experiences, along with my business not taking off and the eventual loss of my father in 2014, lead me to my lowest level possible. But thankfully hitting rock bottom lead me to the arms of Jesus.

After a long period of soul-searching, God healed me, forgave me and gave me clarity for what HE spared my life and put me on this earth to do.

Since my awakening to my God’s given purpose, I have been learning to move forward in life and strengthen & deepen my faith, so I can support others who are on their journey to a life filled with true meaning and significance

Today, I define success as allowing God to use my life to serve His Greater Purpose first and foremost.  And I believe that to find the real meaning of success and purpose of life, one must start with God. Period.

One of the purposes of life is to serve God by serving others. For me, it is all about making a difference and enriching the lives of others so that they can transition towards a more meaningful life and realize their God-given’s purpose.

So what about you? What is your story? Do you know why God made you? Which plans are you following? How do you define success?

Before I go, I’d like to share this special video from DeVon Franklin. As you may know, he has been one of my spiritual mentors since 2014. He just released his new book, The Hollywood Commandments: A Spiritual Guide to Secular Success.

As DeVon said, “We were created because God wants us to serve a designated role in the world.” I believe his testimony and insights will show you that it is possible to be WILDLY successful without losing one faith!

In the sermon below, he talks how to have faith, favor, and function with what God has called us to do. His message will not only encourage you but also challenge you.