Strive Until You Thrive

Frida Abaroa
Aug 23
6 min read

Updated: Aug 28

What if the most dangerous advice you could follow as a Christian entrepreneur is the very one sold as inspiration for success—“Fake it ’till you make it”?

It sounds clever. It promises quick confidence. But in reality, “faking it” often leads to shaky foundations, misrepresentation, and burnout. Instead of pretending, what if the Christian path to true entrepreneurial success was built on striving with discipline, clarity, and persistence until you actually thrive? That’s the mindset that separates temporary players from enduring Christian leaders that can positively shape the world around them.

Welcome to the principle of “Strive until you Thrive.”

Strive until You Thrive

Thriving as an entrepreneur doesn’t mean projecting a false image of success. Nothing in the Christian life should be fake! Therefore, thriving as a Christian entrepreneur means building it step by step, brick by brick, on the Rock. Every great CEO you admire didn’t simply achieve success by pretending—they committed to a vision, laid out a plan, and executed with consistency until reality caught up with their dreams. But when Christian leaders add God into the mix, well now we can be His hands and feet to transform the world!

At its core, the journey from an idea to a thriving business follows a simple but transformative progression:

A dream written down becomes a goal.
A goal broken down into steps and milestones becomes a plan.
A plan backed by consistent and persistent action becomes a reality.

Now let’s explore these three powerful means by which you can put this principle into practice and move from striving to thriving.

Turn Dreams into Clear, Actionable Goals

Every thriving business begins as a dream. But too many entrepreneurs stop at dreaming—or worse, they present their dream as reality before it’s been built. The real power lies in transforming vague aspirations into clear, measurable goals. The most important part, however, is discerning when a dream is divinely inspired and surrendering our dreams to God. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart”, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose”, as it is said in Philippians 2:13. Ask yourself why you want to strive towards a desired dream and how, once successful, you will impact the world in a Christian way. This is what will set you apart from secular entrepreneurs.

How to Put It into Practice:

Write it down. Get your vision out of your head and onto paper. “Build a successful company” is vague. “Fundraise $1M through our crowdfunding campaign by January 2026 while gathering a community of 5,000 Catholic sponsors that follow our project” is specific.
Define success in detail. Write down revenue numbers, customer reach, product launches, or even lifestyle benchmarks—clarity gives direction.
Set SMART goals. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). For example, “Increase online sales by 20% in the next 6 months.”
Pray over your goals. Ask God the Father to align your dreams with His will, trusting that what He plants in you He can bring to fruition not only for you, but for the world.
Commit publicly. Share your goals with your team, mentors, or accountability partners. This transforms steps toward your goal into commitments rather than private wishes.

When a dream becomes a goal, it gains weight, urgency, and the power to pull you forward, and when you lay it at Christ's feet you can count on the fact that it will impact the world—your work will help build His kingdom of love here on Earth.

Break Goals into Realistic, Executable Plans

Once you know where you’re going, you need a roadmap, and remember that Christ is your compass. Too often, entrepreneurs set lofty goals but fail to break them down into manageable steps. Without a clear plan, goals remain intimidating mountains instead of conquerable trails.

How to Put It into Practice:

Break goals into milestones. Example: If the goal is $1M in fundraising, define quarterly targets that build toward that outcome.
Map out actionable steps. Each milestone should have daily or weekly tasks. For instance, “reach $250K this quarter” translates to “secure 100 new supporters monthly” which translates further into “make 1 parish presentation weekly, send our brochures to 10 churches per month and put 3 posts in social media per week.”
Seek the Spirit’s guidance. Pray: “Come, Holy Spirit, grant me wisdom to see the steps to fulfill Your will clearly.”
Assign responsibilities. A plan without ownership collapses. Decide who on your team owns each step. If you’re solo, set non-negotiable deadlines for yourself.
Use tools. Project management platforms like Asana, Trello, or Notion make it easier to stay accountable and measure progress.

By breaking big goals into steps, you make progress tangible and build momentum through small wins.

Execute with Consistency and Persistence

A brilliant plan without consistent execution is nothing but a nice document. Thriving entrepreneurs are not the ones with the flashiest ideas—they are the ones who show up day after day, even when results aren’t immediate. If you struggle with staying motivated, surrender to Christ, and persistently ask for His Holy Spirit to inspire you!

How to Put It into Practice:

Build daily disciplines. Block time for the most critical tasks (sales, product development, marketing). Guard this time like an appointment with your future. Set alarms to help you stay on course.
Track progress relentlessly. Review weekly what worked, what didn’t, and adjust accordingly. Momentum comes from feedback loops.
Embrace persistence with faith. Understand that thriving requires resilience. You will hear “no,” face setbacks, and hit obstacles. Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-8: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” In John 16:24 He says: “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”—“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1) So don't give up, remember that our Lord gave us a huge tip when He said "I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs".
Celebrate God’s grace. Thank Him not only for achievements but for the strength to persevere. Gratitude is the hearts gasoline! So give praise to God and applaud your team for showing up and taking steps forward, even before the big breakthrough arrives.

Execution is where dreams become reality. Consistency—both in prayer and in action—is the quiet superpower that turns entrepreneurs into thriving CEOs. Worldly CEOs can be indeed very successful, but only Godly CEOs can truly thrive, because their success is an offering onto God for the good of the world. Having a sense of mission and purpose while you get more and more personally connected to the Holy Trinity is the only true way to be fulfilled!

Key Takeaways

Don’t fake success—build it.
Write down your dream to turn it into a goal.
Break down your goal into steps to form a plan.
Back up your plan with consistent and persistent prayer-backed action until it becomes reality.
Momentum is built through clarity, planning, and discipline, not pretending.

The Main Idea

“Fake it ’till you make it” leads you to construct a fragile shell of success. But “Strive until you Thrive” creates a foundation strong enough to endure challenges and scale. Entrepreneurs who thrive are not actors playing a role—they are builders laying bricks with vision, plan, and action.

Call to Action

If you’re serious about your entrepreneurial journey, stop faking and start striving. Today, take one step: write down your dream as a clear goal then surrender it to God. Break it into steps, then commit to consistent daily prayer and action. The world doesn’t need another façade—it needs your authentic success story in Christ.

Strive until you Thrive. Don’t pretend—build. Don’t fake—create. Your reality is waiting to be written by your persistence. And remember “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” (Prov. 16:3)