The Elevator to Success Is Not Out of Order

The Elevator to Success Is Not Out of Order

I dare say, "The Elevator to Success Is Not Out of Order"

You've heard the saying a hundred times. Maybe you've even repeated it to yourself on hard days, nodding along with its gritty wisdom:

"The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs, one step at a time."

There's truth here—real truth. Success does demand effort. Growth requires discomfort. Persistence matters. No legitimate achievement arrives wrapped in a bow, delivered by someone else's effort. The stairs are real, and you will climb them.

But what if I told you that millions of people have been standing at the bottom of that staircase for years—not because the stairs are too steep, but because they've been told the elevator is broken when it never was?

Not the magic kind of elevator. Not the "push a button and arrive at the penthouse" kind. But something far more real, far more available, and far more powerful than most people realize.

Let me show you what I mean.

The Problem Isn't the Absence of Accelerators. It's That We Ignore Them.

Here's what no one tells you about that popular saying: It confuses the absence of magic with the absence of mechanisms.

Yes, you cannot wish your way to success. Yes, you must do the work. But the idea that there are no tools, no guides, no ways to dramatically shorten your learning curve—that is simply false. And believing it has cost people decades of unnecessary struggle.

I've watched young professionals spend five years making mistakes that a two-hour conversation with a mentor could have prevented. I've seen entrepreneurs burn savings on strategies that any experienced operator could have told them were doomed. And I've seen gifted people remain stuck, not because they lacked ability, but because they refused to use the very things that could have accelerated everything.

The elevator to success is not out of order. It was never meant to replace the climb. It exists to help you avoid climbing the same staircase blindly that someone else has already mapped.

But there is one accelerator that sits above all the others—not because it replaces effort, but because it aligns your effort with the One who designed the staircase in the first place.

The Master Accelerator: Obedience to God and His Will for Your Life

Before we explore the other accelerators, we must address the one that changes everything else: obedience to God.

Why It Accelerates Growth

Obedience to God isn't about religious ritual. It's about aligning your life with the will of the One who created you, gifted you, and knows the end from the beginning. When you obey God, you stop wasting energy fighting against the grain of your own design. You stop running down paths that lead nowhere. You gain access to wisdom, provision, protection, and timing that no human strategist can offer.

The psalmist put it this way: "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord" (Psalm 37:23). When your steps are ordered by God, you don't stumble around in the dark. You don't climb stairs that lead to dead ends. You move with supernatural efficiency—not because the climb is easy, but because you're climbing where He leads.

Think of it this way: A ship with a skilled captain and a working rudder will reach its destination far faster than a ship that drifts wherever the wind blows. Obedience is your rudder. It keeps you moving toward God's purpose for your life, not just your own whims.

Why Many People Neglect It

Obedience requires surrender. And surrender is hard for ambitious people. We want to be the author of our own story. We want to decide what success looks like, when it should happen, and how we'll get there. Obedience says, "Not my will, but Yours be done." That feels like losing control.

Many people also mistake obedience for passivity. They think following God means sitting still and waiting for a sign. But biblical obedience is active. Noah built an ark. Abraham left his homeland. Joseph managed a nation. Daniel served kings. They climbed—but they climbed in alignment with God's direction.

Others neglect obedience because they've been hurt by religious legalism. They've seen obedience reduced to rule-keeping rather than relationship. So they reject the whole idea, throwing out the accelerator because they've seen it misused.

The Hidden Cost of Ignoring It

The cost of ignoring God's will is not just spiritual—it's practical. You waste years on pursuits He never intended for you. You build things that don't last. You climb ladders leaning against the wrong walls. You exhaust yourself chasing what He would have given you freely if you had simply asked and obeyed.

Proverbs 16:9 says, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." You can make all the plans you want. But if those plans don't align with God's will, He will redirect you—often painfully, often after years of frustration.

How Embracing It Saves Years of Struggle

Obedience compresses the learning curve from decades to days. When God speaks, you don't have to learn by trial and error. He knows the future. He knows the pitfalls. He knows the people you need to meet and the skills you need to develop.

Consider Joseph. He was sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned. That doesn't look like acceleration. But because he remained obedient to God in every circumstance, he was elevated from prison to palace in a single day. His years of faithfulness positioned him for an acceleration that looked like a miracle—but was actually the fruit of obedience.

Practical Steps You Can Take Immediately

1. Start each day with a simple prayer: "God, what do You want me to do today? I will do it." Not "show me my whole future"—just today's step.

2. Compare your plans against Scripture. Does what you're pursuing align with God's commands? Does it honor Him? Does it serve others?

3. Ask for confirmation through wise counsel. God often confirms His will through mature believers. If every wise person in your life is telling you something is unwise, listen.

4. Practice small obediences. The person who obeys God in little things is trusted with big things. Start with what you already know He wants you to do (forgive someone, be generous, tell the truth).

5. Keep a journal of what you believe God is saying. Write it down. Review it. You'll be amazed how often He speaks—and how much time you save when you actually do what He says.

Other Success Accelerators (That Work Even Better When Aligned with God's Will)

Now let's explore the other accelerators. Each of them is powerful on its own, but when combined with obedience to God, they become exponentially more effective.

1. Mentorship

Why it accelerates growth: A mentor compresses decades of experience into conversations.

Why people neglect it: Pride, fear of rejection, or not knowing how to ask.

The hidden cost: Five to ten years of trial and error.

How it saves years: One conversation about your blind spots can save six months of confusion.

Practical steps:

· Identify three people whose lives and character you respect.

· Reach out with a specific question, not a vague "will you mentor me?"

· Offer value first. Show them why investing time in you makes sense.

2. Reading and Learning from the Experiences of Others

Why it accelerates growth: Books allow you to download someone else's learning in hours.

Why people neglect it: Reading feels passive. Many also think their situation is unique.

The hidden cost: Reinventing flat wheels. Making mistakes documented for centuries.

How it saves years: One book can contain forty years of wisdom.

Practical steps:

· Read one biography of someone who succeeded in your field.

· Read one book about failure (often more valuable).

· Keep a "lessons learned" journal.

3. Clarity of Purpose (Especially God-Given Purpose)

Why it accelerates growth: A clear purpose acts like a laser instead of a light bulb. And when that purpose comes from God, you're not guessing—you're responding.

Why people neglect it: Clarity requires hard questions. It's easier to stay busy.

The hidden cost: Years of activity without progress.

How it saves years: When you know exactly what you're building, you stop doing everything else.

Practical steps:

· Write your purpose in one sentence. If you can't, pray until you can.

· Every week, ask: "Does this activity move me toward what God has called me to do?"

4. Honesty with Oneself

Why it accelerates growth: Self-deception is the most expensive luxury.

Why people neglect it: Honesty hurts temporarily. Self-deception feels comfortable.

The hidden cost: Wasting years in denial.

How it saves years: One honest assessment can redirect years of effort.

Practical steps:

· Ask three trusted people: "What is one hard truth about me that I seem unwilling to see?"

· Keep a failure journal. Document your role in what went wrong.

5. Accountability

Why it accelerates growth: Accountability creates external consequences for internal commitments.

Why people neglect it: Accountability feels like surveillance.

The hidden cost: Broken promises to yourself. Eroded self-trust.

How it saves years: A weekly fifteen-minute check-in can prevent months of drift.

Practical steps:

· Find one person who will hold you accountable weekly.

· Pay for accountability if necessary (coaches, masterminds).

6. Strategic Relationships and Networking with Substance

Why it accelerates growth: Opportunities flow through people. God often works through relationships.

Why people neglect it: Many associate networking with manipulation.

The hidden cost: Solving problems others could have solved for you. Missing opportunities.

How it saves years: One introduction can open doors that would have taken five years to break down.

Practical steps:

· Give before you ask. Serve before you seek.

· Follow up intentionally. Most relationships die from neglect.

7. Discipline and Consistency

Why it accelerates growth: Discipline creates compound interest. "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied" (Proverbs 13:4).

Why people neglect it: Discipline is boring. Motivation is exciting.

The hidden cost: The gap between potential and results.

How it saves years: Disciplined people cover more ground in one year than undisciplined people cover in five.

Practical steps:

· Focus on systems, not goals. What must you do every single day?

· Never miss twice. One missed day is a slip. Two is a pattern.

8. Learning from Failure (Not Just Enduring It)

Why it accelerates growth: Failure is data. "For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again" (Proverbs 24:16).

Why people neglect it: Failure hurts. We want to move past it, not examine it.

The hidden cost: Repeating the same failure.

How it saves years: One properly analyzed failure can prevent a hundred future ones.

Practical steps:

· After every significant failure, conduct a "post-mortem."

· Separate your identity from the event. You are not your failure.

9. Teachability

Why it accelerates growth: The teachable person learns from everyone.

Why people neglect it: Teachability requires admitting you don't know.

The hidden cost: Becoming obsolete.

How it saves years: A teachable person can change direction in weeks. An unteachable person takes years.

Practical steps:

· Assume everyone knows something you don't.

· Ask more questions than you make statements.

10. Delayed Gratification

Why it accelerates growth: The ability to endure short-term pain for long-term gain is a hallmark of mature faith.

Why people neglect it: We are wired for now.

The hidden cost: Trading what you want most for what you want now.

How it saves years: The person who can delay gratification makes better decisions that compound.

Practical steps:

· Create visible reminders of your long-term goals.

· Use commitment devices that make quitting painful.

11. Seeking Feedback Early and Often

Why it accelerates growth: Early feedback prevents large corrections later.

Why people neglect it: Feedback requires vulnerability.

The hidden cost: Building the wrong thing beautifully.

How it saves years: Early feedback is cheap. Late feedback is expensive.

Practical steps:

· Share your work when it's 50% done, not 95% done.

· Thank people for critical feedback. They gave you something valuable.

Why Some People Believe There Is No Elevator

If accelerators are so powerful, why do so many people live as if they don't exist? Why do talented, ambitious people remain stuck at the base of the staircase, convinced that the elevator is broken?

Here's what I've observed:

They reject advice while demanding results. Ask for input. Reject it immediately because it's uncomfortable. Wonder why nothing changes.

They admire successful people but ignore mentors. They'll read biographies of the greats but refuse to ask for help from the person two floors above them.

They refuse correction while desiring growth. They want to improve but don't want to be told what's wrong.

They remain indecisive while wanting progress. Clarity requires choosing. Choosing requires risk. So they stay suspended.

They avoid responsibility while seeking achievement. They want the outcome but not the ownership.

They romanticize struggle and overlook wisdom. There's a strange pride in suffering. Some would rather struggle nobly than succeed efficiently.

And for the believer, there is an additional tragedy: They pray for direction but ignore the direction God already gave. They ask for open doors but refuse to walk through the one right in front of them. They want God's blessing on their plans rather than submitting their plans to God's will.

The Difference Between a Shortcut and an Accelerator

This distinction matters more than almost anything I'll write here.

A shortcut attempts to bypass growth.

An accelerator enhances growth.

A shortcut seeks results without development.

An accelerator speeds development so results come sooner.

Imagine you want to reach the top of a mountain. A shortcut might be finding an illegal helicopter that drops you at the summit. You're there—but you didn't earn the strength, knowledge, or resilience needed to stay there.

An accelerator is a skilled guide who has climbed the mountain a hundred times. You still climb every step. Your legs still burn. But you don't waste time on dead ends. You learn the best route.

Obedience to God is like having the architect of the mountain personally guide you. He knows every stone, every crevice, every hidden path. He knows which stairs are safe and which are crumbling. He knows exactly how long each stretch will take. And He promises to be with you on every single step.

That's not a shortcut. That's the ultimate accelerator.

What Climbing Actually Looks Like When You Use the Elevator

Here's the part that often gets misunderstood.

Using accelerators doesn't mean the climb is easy. It doesn't mean you avoid effort, discipline, or perseverance. In fact, using accelerators often means more effort—just better directed.

The person with a mentor still does the work. They just do the right work.

The person who reads still implements. They just implement proven principles.

The person who obeys God still struggles. But they struggle with Him, and that changes everything.

The stairs are still there. You still climb them. But you climb with a map, a guide, a light, and companions. You climb with the accumulated wisdom of everyone who climbed before you. And if you're wise, you climb with the Creator of the stairs Himself.

That's the elevator.

A Final Distinction Worth Making

Some people will read this and say: "But I tried obedience and nothing changed." Or "I prayed and God didn't answer."

Here's what I want you to consider: Did you actually obey, or did you just negotiate? Did you do what He said, or did you do what you wanted and then ask Him to bless it?

Obedience isn't a formula. It's a relationship. And relationships take time. But the person who walks with God day by day, step by step, will look back after a year and realize they've covered ground that would have taken a decade alone.

The elevator doesn't work if you don't push the buttons. And the most important button is labeled "Yes, Lord."

Where to Go From Here

You have a choice right now. You've read this far. You've seen the list of accelerators. You've been reminded that obedience to God is not a religious add-on but a strategic advantage.

The question isn't whether accelerators exist. They do.

The question is: Will you use them?

Will you obey God—or continue climbing according to your own wisdom?

Will you find a mentor—or continue struggling alone?

Will you seek honest feedback—or continue protecting your ego?

Will you get clear on your purpose—or continue being busy but ineffective?

The people who succeed aren't necessarily smarter, more talented, or luckier than you. They've simply discovered that the elevator was never out of order. They found the buttons—especially the one marked "obedience"—and they pushed them. And they climbed every single step—just much faster than everyone else.

You can too.

This post was adapted from principles explored in depth in my book, Fifth Talent. If these ideas resonated with you, the book dives deeper into each accelerator—including the spiritual foundations that too many success guides ignore—and provides detailed frameworks for implementation.

"The elevator to success is not out of order. It was never meant to replace the climb. It exists to help you avoid climbing the same staircase blindly that someone else has already mapped."

And for those who listen: the One who built the staircase is still speaking. Your next step is waiting.

Now go find the buttons. Push them. And start climbing—faster than you ever thought possible.