Why be a Failure When You Can be a Success?

By Benjamin Aryee

Have you faced challenges, difficulties, letdowns or pain? Possibly your only thoughts were: “It’s too much, I can’t take it anymore!” Or do you feel as if you are just wandering around without a purpose?
You are in the right place. I have been there and today I can say ‘Ebenezer’ (1 Samuel 7:12).
“After having been the CEO of a prominent state institution for 13 years, I was rather unceremoniously reassigned to another institution as an advisor. One thing led to another. My benefits were gradually reduced until by the seventh month I was advised that at the end of the year (2014) even my salary would be stopped. Indeed, for more than 26 months, I was not paid a penny in remuneration. Worse still, for the greater part of that period, I would go to the office and be treated as an anathema. I would just sit without being assigned any responsibilities or where one was assigned, the supporting framework was often manipulated in futile efforts to frustrate me.
Your situation may be of a similar nature or worse. However, the principles that saw me through my difficult times will surely see you through. Let’s undertake the journey through the book together and you will not regret it!”

The author, Benjamin Nii Ayi Aryee, is a believer in and promoter of not just optimal personal and family financial management, but more importantly, holistic living.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Benjamin Aryee
• Release date: Jul 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370835300

Book preview

Dedication

To the glory of the Most High God whose dominion is everlasting and who rules over mankind: the One in whom we live and move and have our being. He is the One who has brought me thus far and been my source of inspiration and strength in writing this book– Ebenezer.

To all who are striving for success despite all sorts of challenges, God bless you and grant you His favour.

Foreword - Endorsements

"It is a widely accepted fact that we don’t have a choice in how and when the rainbow of opportunities, threats and challenges come our way. Consequently, we become bewildered, confused and even disoriented when this reflection of stark reality appears on the horizon.

Through the medium of this book, the writer records biblical principles which buoyed him up on his journey through life as he faced multifaceted challenges and threats.

I recommend this life-changing book as a firm foundation to anyone who wishes to gain insight into building a better future and developing one’s full potential."

Alt. Dr. David Nii Amankwa Addo

Naturopath & Lifestyle Consultant

Ghana/U.K.

In an interactive way, the book is a holistic guide to success with a broad range of perspectives on the ups and downs of life. For those starting out in life, anyone struggling, suffering severe persecution, facing temptation, experiencing injustice and the like, this is a must-read companion.

Ms. Charlotte Houston

Senior Day Centre

Resource Officer

Social Services, London, U.K.

One of the best life-transforming books you can find on the market. It’s experiential, practical and easy to read. It’s a must-read for anyone wanting to succeed in life.

Anthony MELCHIZEDECK

Pastor, Author, Life Coach

This book is a practical guide on how to achieve not only monetary success, but a truly satisfying life.

Mrs. Joyce Ayeley Ayeh

Tutor

Birmingham, U.K.

"This is a very good book from Ben Aryee. It is candid, practical and spiritual. You will also meet the Ben Aryee you didn’t know - tenacious, thoughtful and tough. In his instructive book, Ben Aryee brings an excellent blend of experience, deep knowledge of the scriptures and warmth to his work.

Spiced with his professional experience and painful personal challenges, the book approaches the topic of success holistically. Not only will you get outstanding insights into what makes a person successful, but you will learn how you can use these principles to better your life.

The principles the book espouses are dear to my heart, and I recommend it without qualification."

Kimathi Kuenyehia

Managing Partner at Kimathi & Partners

Winner of the 2012 International Bar Association Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year

Acknowledgements

I hereby acknowledge the contribution of the following, on whose backs I have ridden to write and share the contents of this publication with you:

• My parents who introduced me to God our Creator, who became my backbone.

• My wife Gloria and our children, Abigail, Benjamin Jnr. and Beryl, who sacrificed quality family time and encouraged me to complete the task.

• Chaplain Greg Davis especially, whose initial request and subsequent encouragement motivated the writing of this book. Brother William Kwasi Addai of Accra, Ghana and many others provided the continual support I needed.

To Chaplain Davis, Pastors Anthony Melchizedeck and Isaiah Gideon Morrison, Lawyer Kimathi Kuenyehia, Ms. Charlotte Houston of London and my own sister, Mrs. Joyce Ayeh of Birmingham, who spent many hours reviewing various aspects of this writing – my gratitude would not be enough for your sacrifices. I am grateful to Ingr. Paul A. O. Tagoe who painstakingly proofread the final laid out version. However, any errors and omissions which might still appear in the publication are solely my responsibility.

PREFACE

Amongst the many resources available to mankind, each of us is granted a similar amount of a fundamental resource, irrespective of how many others we might have. This important commodity is TIME. As right-thinking people we ought to be mindful of utilising our resources to gain optimal benefit both for ourselves and others.

Each of us is given an equal amount of time per day - 24 hours. Each hour totals 60 minutes and each minute, 60 seconds. Each of these seconds ticks by automatically without our control. Once it has passed it cannot be recovered, whether for better or for worse. Unfortunately, each of us is given only so many years, months and days of life, whatever we choose to do with this God-given gift.

According to the Bible in Psalm 90:10, our life span is set at seventy years, eighty, if we are strong. But all these years bring us is trouble and sorrow. Life is soon over, and we are gone. This is a significant decline from the 969-year life span of the longest-lived man, Methuselah (Genesis 5:27) who lived soon after man sinned and had to leave the Garden of Eden. In more recent history, scientists have documented that the life expectancy dropped to as low as 20 years or so some two centuries ago. It is now about 80 years in areas with the best healthcare in the world. According to WHO data, in 2013 the life expectancy in Ghana was 62.8 years.

Irrespective of your allotted life span, as the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and years pass by, the remainder becomes progressively less. My primary question to you is this. Whatever portion of your allocation you have used, can you honestly say you have utilised the time wisely, responsibly and to the best of your ability? Of even greater concern, at the end of this time allocation, what would follow? The Bible warns us: It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

Indeed, the way we now live will have definite consequences in the future. Even those who do not believe the biblical version of what the future has in store, must at least admit that their current lives could be radically changed.

The Bible states:

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Daniel 12:2 Many of those who have already died will live again; some will enjoy eternal life, and some will suffer eternal disgrace.

Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal.

What if the biblical statements are manifested? Where would you be if you had neglected to give this important option any thought at all? It is therefore the only rational and sensible thing to do, for even those of us who admit only the possibility of consequences, to consider the constructive use of our time-resources. The two-fold question of whether conceptually, there is a right way to do so and whether in reality, it is possible to do so, is the focus of this book. It is intended to be a simple, practical guide for living a fulfilling life.

This book is structured so that each chapter consists of three sections. The Principles deal with the conceptual aspects followed by illustrations of their application in my life – My Experience. Finally, the essence of the chapter is captured in the Final Share. My decision to share these important principles and my thoughts on how their application is a sine qua non to a fulfilling life, gave rise to the writing of this book. These two life experiences contributed largely to my decision:

i) The principles were presented for the first time in April 2012. The chaplain of the University of Ghana S.D.A. Students Fellowship, Chaplain Greg Davis, asked me to give a charge as it were to the graduating class of the 2012 academic year during the final worship service of the fellowship.

Given the intended setting of the academic-professional transition, I started off by recalling an incident in 1984, when I was about to complete my first degree from the same university. An experienced senior colleague, who had formerly been a professional teacher and been involved in pastoral ministry, posed a question which may be paraphrased as follows:

With the current difficult economic situation and other challenges, if we, with all our experience can hardly make it, how can upstarts like you make it?

In gathering information for my