I've been successful in building some things and people have speculated on the reason why.

In the interest of trying to impart to you something that will be useful, I'll dispense with the false humility that is customary when discussing such matters. Of course God is the author of all ideas and opportunities. But I'm not a Calvinist or a determinist. We are stewards of what he gives us and he holds us accountable for our stewardship.

So, what is it? Some hypotheses:

• Maybe it's a commitment to prayer and to try to follow God's leadership.
• Maybe it flows from trying to follow Jesus' model of discipleship.
• Maybe it's a willingness to take wild risks and lots of them.
• Maybe it's an ability to build large networks.
• Or maybe it's my commitment to build a nurturing culture in the workplace.
• Or maybe it's the fact that my parents taught me to wait before I eat the marshmallow.

Frankly, I don't know - they're all important. But let's look at this last one. Perhaps the Galatians 5:22 fruit of the Spirit that seems most missing  in young people today is self-control. Like the kids in the delayed gratification experiment, we  want to eat the marshmallow now.  And as the accompanying study shows, 100% of kids who master this issue of self-discipline are successful later in life.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, parents seem to really struggle in helping their children learn to delay gratification. "If it's good, get it now," seems to be the mantra. Get in debt, buy it, and enjoy it. My parents fought this pernicious philosophy tooth and nail. We kids had no choice in the matter - we learned discipline in the Barnes home.

How would you rate yourself? It's not too late to learn this principle. It's all a question of making the decision to resist the temptation to indulge now so you can have something better later. Set a goal, get some accountability, and commit to grow in this area. And check out the video, it's priceless.