If you want people to read an article you write, or watch a video you post, just make sure that the title has the word, “Success” in it. (I know. I just did that. Did it work?)

Fortunately, I am not attracted by these headlines that really reel the readers in, (preferring, instead, articles with photos of celebrities without make-up), but Success Articles abound:

Prosperity preachers — secular and religious — promise us a yacht, which may cause us to overlook the rowboat that God has put at our disposal. Shore Leave, original oil painting by Steve Henderson; licensed open edition print at Great Big Canvas, iCanvasART, and Framed Canvas Art.

The Bill Gates Plan: Five key attributes of the Successful Person.

Superstar Managers: How They Achieve Success and Become CEOs

It’s not hard to find these — just pop onto Linked In and look at the top 5 stories, most of which have a minimum of 50,000 views. One time, I wandered over just to see what the writers were actually saying, which is, predictably, not much.

A lack of valid and intelligent content, however, is no guarantee that people will click away. Sometimes, when I look at the YouTube videos with the million-plus viewers and compare them to the ones with a few thousand or so, I wonder, “Cats running into windows are always funny, but don’t people want to know about alternative news information contrary to what they’re fed from corporate news stations?”

If you’re worried about money, focus less on making more as you do on spending less. Paperback and digital at Amazon.com.

Speaking of clicking, I would appreciate it if you would follow the link for the rest of the story, Longing for Success, at my BeliefNet blog, Commonsense Christianity. Regular readers know that I am only able to post a teaser, and am most grateful for the readers who ingest the entire article.

If you are a Christian, you are being subtly — or not so subtly — manipulated into thinking that a love of God and a desire for a lot of money can go hand in hand. Don’t think so? If you’ve ever attended a business seminar and found yourself nodding in agreement, you might question whether or not you were being manipulated.

This article is linked to A Little R and R, Wholehearted Home, Raising Homemakers, We Are That Family, A Wise Woman, My Daily Walk in His Grace, True Aim, Ducks in a Row, The Life of Jennifer Dawn, My Disorganized Life, Cherished Bliss, Joy Dare Blog, Time Warp Wife, titus Tuesdays, Kathe with an E, Serving Joyfully, Graced Simplicity,  I Choose Joy, Hope in Every Season, Jenni Mullinix, The Deliberate Mom, Growing in Grace, Over 50 Feeling 40, The Weekend Retreat, Christian Mom Blogger, Missional Call, Faith Filled Fridays, Simple Moments Stick, Essential Things, Christian Fellowship, Family Fun, Bacon Time, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Dash of Diva, Friday Flash Blog, A Look at the Book, Counting my Blessings,