A Magic Formula for Success Part 3 of 4

Part 3/4

A Magic Formula

Remarks

Delivered to Bellarmine Freshman Pioneers
11-11@11-2008


Part 3: Seek a Supportive Environment, Find a Support Group.

I was an English major in college. But I knew of and was intrigued by the search of physicists, cosmologists and mathematicians like Einstein and Stephen Hawking for the so-called Theory of Everything—that is, one equation that explains the entirety of physics—the world reduced to one formula. Each of you is like those scientists—that’s why you are here, to see if you can discover from me the Theory of Everything, reduce the world to one equation, explain success in one formulation.

Well, I have it.

Let me give it to you first in Latin since no worthwhile formula is presented in a straightforward manner. Dei memor, gratus amicus.

Part 4: Mindful of God, Grateful to Friends.

Gentles, the motto mindful of God, grateful to friends is my Universal Equation and it answers every question you have of me: How I succeeded, How I overcome obstacles, How I endured, How I prospered, How I recovered from failure.

The God referred in my recipe may or may not be the God of an organized religion but it must be an honorable God and not a false God? What is a false God? That is the equivalent of a secular idol that will destroy you—like the Demon Rum, the Devil Dice, The Great God I, The Archangel Me and that well-known Unholy Trinity called sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.

Let me puncture a myth today: before you got here you learned the truth about Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and the many spooks and spirits of Halloween. I’m here today to add another casualty to your list. Are you ready?

There is no such thing as a Self-made Man (or Self-made Woman).

Who claims to be self-made is an ingrate. The successful person is rich in debt to many others. The successful person is grateful to friends. The successful person lives outside of self.

When I was 50 years old, I sent out a notice to all my friends and family announcing my retirement from the business of giving advice. One wag asked for a parting bit of wisdom. What was my best advice, daughter asked? My answer constitutes the fifth part of the Magic Formula:

Part 5: Be flexible.

Be surprised by nothing is Horace’s wise counsel. Don’t peer too far is Sappho’s warning. Rigidity destroys dreams and plans. When plans do not unfold as expected, some quickly declare the cause lost. They see no Plan B. The ability to reconfigure the dream, to make the most out of the unexpected, to see and seize new opportunities, to salvage something from failure, to draw new ideas from setbacks---this is the stuff of which successful people are made.