When it comes to Success Talk is Cheap Peter Hirsch had it all: wealth, a nice house, a good family, but when his life came crashing down, he realized he was missing the most important thing. by Jennifer Jacoby-Smith     Peter Hirsch was rich, successful ... and loving it!   He owned a sprawling home and office in Hawaii with a panoramic ocean view. He jetted around the world conducting sales and success seminars for astronomical fees — sometimes as much as $25,000 for a one hour talk! His positive thinking philosophy had made him a top consultant with many Fortune 500 companies.   As Hirsch watched the sunset one evening with his wife Diana, a Christian, she suggested they thank Jesus for their blessings. Hirsch recalls that he lost it, saying, “Thank Jesus?!? You should thank me! I’m the one who worked my heart out so we could live like this!”   Born into an orthodox Jewish family in 1966, Hirsch attended yeshivas (Jewish schools for religious studies) in both New York and Israel while growing up. He later graduated from law school — top of his class. Hirsch figured Jesus had nothing to do with his success and regarded Him as irrelevant, a prophet gone astray at best.   Hirsch’s carefully constructed life soon came crashing down around him, though. In 1998, six months after the memorable sunset conversation, Hirsch accepted a position at a five-year-old firm in Dallas which was poised to cash in big on the dot-com craze. Unhappy with the practices of the company, Hirsch left after just four months.   Shortly after, the Federal Trade Commission filed civil charges against past and present directors of the company. While Hirsch wasn’t directly involved in the questionable business practices, he was being sued for $85 million! It was an expensive case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.   “My ‘positive thinking’ hit a wall ... I couldn’t ‘positively think’ my way out of this lawsuit,” Hirsch admits.   Hirsch ended up spending his fortune on legal fees. Gone was the beautiful home on Kauai and the lavish lifestyle. He and his family moved into a two bedroom apartment in Dallas.   Hirsch says he became depressed and suicidal, believing he was worth more to his family dead from an insurance point of view. One night, curled up on the floor and sobbing, Hirsch did something he’d never done before.   He asked Jesus for help.   Hirsch accepted Jesus’ death as atonement for his sins, and surrendered his life to Him. Accepting Christ as his Saviour had an immediate impact. He says, “I didn’t actually hear the words, but I felt them: Trust Me.”   Hirsch gratefully notes, “When I woke up that [next] day, my life wasn’t my own.” He had turned everything in his life over to God, including the lawsuit.   Miraculously, the FTC later agreed to settle with him for zero dollars.   Hirsch has earned his doctorate in Ministry and has become a rabbi at the largest Messianic synagogue in US. He explains, while remaining true to his Jewish roots, a Messianic Jew is “... a Jew who has accepted Jesus, who we call Yeshua, as his Messiah.”   Hirsch has also recently written a book called Success by Design — Ten Biblical Secrets to Help You Achieve Your God-Given Potential (Bethany House Publishers).   The book, Hirsch felt, was a chance to right a wrong. For years he had espoused the principles of success taught at his seminars — even writing a book about them.   “I would walk away saying, ‘That was awesome! People are empowered; I changed their lives.’”   But he later observed, “I did change their lives — for about a day and a half.”   Hirsch explains, “I was leaving out the most important part: there is no true transformation until you are right with God.”   So Hirsch set out to write a new book that reflected his transformation and new perspective on life and success. His goals, for example, have changed dramatically since his beach home in Hawaii.   “My goals then were almost all ego based, [like] becoming the greatest motivational speaker in the world, owning homes in Lake Como, Italy, the South of France, and other resort destinations, vacationing a minimum of 180 days per year, etc.”   He concedes, “All pretty shallow.”   Now, Hirsch says his goals focus more on his faith and his family. He and wife Diana are expecting their first child in November. “I have the goal to teach my daughter, every single week, lessons from the Bible,” he says.   Although he says he enjoyed every minute of his wealth and success, Hirsch admits, “In retrospect, there’s no question that I never knew the true joy that’s available to anyone that only comes through a relationship with the Lord.”   Hirsch still considers himself a success, but for a different reason. “I don’t consider myself a success based solely on what I have done. Now I know that my success is based solely on what He (Jesus Christ) has done.   “In God’s eyes, you are a success if you acknowledge that you are His child.” [LLN-Online] [Adopt-a-Block] [Newsbriefs][Event Calendar] [Lifestyles] [Juke Box] [Cover to Cover] [Movieguide][Casting the Net] [Viewpoints] [General Info] [Rates & Sizes][Marketplace/Classifieds] [Volunteer Ops] [Writing Guidelines] [Contact Us] [Subscribe][Archives][Good News] [About Us][Links]