Apart from my captivation and calling to be a servant of God and writer, one of the other occupations that I am faithfully involved in is being a student and observer of people and human behavior. Perhaps this is why I once wanted to be either a sociologist or psychologist. To be perfectly honest about it, there are many sociological and psychological techniques involved in being a pastor (counseling and advising members of your congregation). As an observer and student of people, I have been able to identify some common qualities and characteristics in various people I know and interact with in our locale who are truly living productive and successful lives. These individuals represent a wide spectrum of ethnicities, professions, religious affiliations, political preferences, and such like. The following are a list of the things they share without some of them knowing the other.

Compassionate and Empathetic People
Amazingly each of the individuals (who I have observed and considered as a case study to get a consensus of their characteristics) are compassionate and empathetic people. They have all demonstrated these qualities when and wherever it was needed. Most have done so to their own loss and hurt at times. I have therefore concluded that these are two of the attributes that have helped these people to be very productive and successful. And since it worked for them, it will also work for you when you practice being compassionate and empathetic.

Diligent in Their Professional Practices and Pursuits
The second thing that I detected in the various people in our locale who are productive and successful was that each of them were diligent and industrious in their professional practices and pursuits. Whether their profession was in the construction field, the heating and cooling field, education, politics, banking, and even as pastors, each of these people were very serious about their job and went at it with much diligence. Even when they had reached the pinnacle of success in their given professions, they did not slack from their practice of being diligent and hard working. Donald Mitchell and Bernard Carter (not their real names) are bona fide millionaires whose hard work has paid off and positioned them as very productive and successful people in our locale. In spite of the fact that they both are rich and successful in their given occupations, they are just as diligent today as they were when they first started in their businesses. Never mind about the fact that they have quite a few people working for them. They are still the first people on the job and pitches in with everybody else when and wherever they are needed. Given their age has slowed them down somewhat, but their diligence is still alive.

Condescending and
Self-Effacing
The people who I have observed and selected as being worthy of being included in this article in determining a general and corporate character are all without exception condescending and self-effacing people.
To a fault, most if not all of them are people who shun being in the spotlight and prefer to do what they do behind the curtain. Even when they are the owners or managers, they are humble and non-conceited people and prefer not to be praised or idolized by others who admire and respect them for their achievements and positions of authority and oversight.
They are a part of a rare and endangered category of people that our culture is in dire need of.

Generous and
Giving People
The last thing that the people have in common that qualified them to be considered in this article is their generosity and liberality.
I have discovered that most people who achieve or ascend to a place of true greatness and success are generous and liberal people. For certain, there are some exceptions to this rule.
Regrettably, there are some who seem to be productive and successful from an external and materialistic perspective and standard who are great failures in the areas that matter the most. Unlike the acid test or gauge used by the Lord to measure the true greatness of people by their character, integrity, and fruit, many have managed to be acclaimed and dubbed as icons, idols, and great individuals when they are in truth and practice people of ill repute who are not worthy of such honor.
However, the people who I am referring to here are generous and give to others who are in need in various areas of their lives without tooting a horn about it.
They are modest people who prefer to remain anonymous about their charitable and generous giving. Believe it or not, there are some very successful and productive people in our locale who measure up to all the distinctions and criteria mentioned in this article. Let each of us strive to be included in that number.