A Magic Formula for Success Part 1 of 4

A Magic Formula

Remarks

by

Donald Vish

To the Bellarmine Freshman Pioneers
Delivered 11-11@11, 2008


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Thank you for inviting me to speak to you about the important journey on which you have embarked. It was suggested that I talk to you about (1) my successes in the world since graduation from Bellarmine in 1968 and (2) my early life (or my ‘antecedents’ as they say), from which you might draw some lessons, inspiration or insights.

But you college freshman have not come here to hear me talk about me. You are here with the hope that I will give you a Magic Formula that will enable you to complete the education you have begun. You are eager to get from me some clue, if not a precise recipe, on how to do what you hope to do. Your interest in my success and my antecedents is limited to your need to determine for yourself whether I hold the proper credentials to address you about the secret formulae, the clues and the recipes you need to succeed.

So, let me assure you I am, in the conventional sense, a successful lawyer, writer, photographer, civic volunteer and social worker with a fair share of spectacular failures as a person, friend, father, husband and citizen. I have written books, practiced law with Kentucky’s best law firms, held appointive office in Washington D.C., won awards for my photography and have seen my poetry included in the Kentucky Anthology, a catalog of Kentucky writers over the last 200 years. In between, I have known divorce, depression, weakness, fear, failure, panic and every manner of human frailty.

Recently, I was introduced at the Bellarmine Awards dinner for “distinguished graduates” with an extravagant description of my accomplishments. The text was less than 500 words. So I divided my age into the number of words and concluded: I have accomplished eight words per year.

As far as my antecedents are concerned, suffice it to say I had and have many obstacles to overcome. Plato said: Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

The details of the obstacles—like the specifics of my success—are beside the point. Everyone has obstacles to overcome. And that leads me to the first part of the Magic Formula I have prepared for you:

Part 1: Develop Healthy Coping Mechanisms.

Did you hear the word ‘healthy’? It’s there to emphasize that you will get coping mechanisms whether you want them or not. Some will destroy you: alcohol, drugs, gambling. For those who cannot avoid these traps, I say your outlook is bleak—there’s nothing I can teach you.