We all hunger in life, for an incalculably wide variety of things and for an even greater number of reasons. We have wants, desires, hopes, dreams, goals and objectives whether it be physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, socially, economically, and basically any other word ending in “ally” that you can think of.
We’re successful when a hunger has been fed and filled; when we’ve accomplished something we wanted to accomplish, or achieved something we’ve been longing to achieve. Success therefore, in one form or another, is something we all pursue. Some successes are more important than others while some more costly, some more valuable and some more enjoyable. However, from one end of a spectrum to the other, there are identifiable patterns and themes that reside within them all.
One important pattern to identify as an example, is that the hunger is less important than how you deal with the hunger. Being hungry in and of itself may not say much about you as a person, but how you respond to that hunger can have vastly varying effects on your being. Some choices can be helpful, and others can be fatally detrimental, especially when considering long-term effects. Consistency, in choices particularly, has a multiplying effect.
It’s my hope and intent in writing this book to illustrate and help people better understand these patterns and themes. Hopefully doing so will inspire people to think twice, not only about what successes they pursue but even more importantly what hungers for success they entertain. What you do to respond to each individual hunger, matters. Another important point I’m trying to highlight is that the small and seemingly inconsequential choices work collectively to establish patterns and consistency in habitual behaviour (even more-so than the bigger issues of life).
I desire to share some perspectives that hopefully increase both the attractiveness and ease of making choices that produce lasting beneficial outcomes. Primarily, I desire to do this by helping people understand and apply principles of edification.
What does it mean to Edify?
The choices an individual makes to feed a hunger can fall into one of three categories. You can feed the hunger in a way that’s bad for you, a way that’s good for you, or a way that’s not much of either and is simply neutral. It’s also possible to not feed or entertain the hunger at all, and starve it, but I will speak on that much later in the book.
We need to appreciate that even though all three scenarios feed the hunger, the outcomes and long-term effects of each vary in important ways. I propose that these outcomes are far too often overlooked, and it’s quite natural for such to occur while we prioritise removing the hunger over paying attention to HOW the hunger is being removed. It is imperative however, for any individual who honestly desires to make the most of life, to not be ignorant of the consequences of one’s choices. When we prioritise hunger feeding instead of the effects of how the hunger is being fed, we remain too ignorant.
To help clarify the outcomes of each choice;
- I refer to each negative outcome as gratifying,
- each neutral outcome as satisfying,
- and each positive outcome as edifying.
Gratification is detrimental, satisfaction is neither good nor bad and edification is beneficial. This book serves to evidence why each is classified as such.
It’s not my intention to re-write the English language or propose that every individual using these three words (edify, satisfy, gratify) are using them in the same context in which I speak of them. In common discussions had around the world, these three words are contextually used interchangeably, but for the purpose of clarifying the principles I desire to share, I do not use them interchangeably in this book, or in my life.
Edifying Success 
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