“JUNE IS BUSTIN’ OUT ALL OVER” Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein from the musical Carousel

June is the month for weddings and May and June are the months for graduations. People (mostly young) are undergoing dramatic changes in their lives. They are beginning a new phase of it colored with a kaleidoscope of hopes and dreams. They are “bustin’ out all over”with energy and excitement. But, each and every one of them has one common desire burning within him or her – the desire to be successful in marriage, in vocation, and in life.

So, let me show you the way to not only be successful but to exceed all of your expectations. Sound interesting. Okay, here it is. What do you think? Will it work?

We start with “Knowledge.” Of course, this is why we go to school – to gain knowledge. Experience is another way to gain knowledge. People learn in different ways. Some learn by reading, some by seeing, and some by doing. A good teacher will present a body of knowledge all three ways in a classroom in order to reach every student.

Then, there is “Hard Work.” It can be hard work to gain knowledge. Going to school is a job, it costs a growing sum of money, and it is hard work to raise the money and to complete each class. There is a requirement to be in class, to read materials, and to produce a product (term paper, exam, project, etc.) Experience is gained by working on a job and it is particularly difficult to succeed in gaining experience and the accompanying knowledge if one is new on the job. It is hard work to gain experience.

Then, there is “Attitude.” This is the “power of positive thinking.” This is “Yes, I can.” This is “never giving up.” It is “keeping your eye on the prize.” You have to believe in yourself and keep going despite suffering setbacks. Go to www.snopes.com/glurge/lincoln.asp for a look at the failures of a guy named Abraham Lincoln before he was elected you-know-what and became one of our best you-know-whats.

All of these three overlap one another and can even fill in the gaps in each other. For example, hard work and a positive attitude can substitute temporarily for a lack of knowledge. A person can accomplish a task that he or she is not familiar with by tackling it with a positive attitude and applying hard work to the task at hand.

These three attributes form a “Triangle of Success” as follows:

As you probably know (especially if you read my May article), the triangle is the strongest basic geometric shape. But this “Triangle of Success” lacks something. There is something very important missing. It is empty in the middle. What should be there in the middle of everything to complete your formula for success?

Allow me to take some liberty with Mathematics. I am sure that I will offend the Mathematical purists, but I feel that this is a good way to present the concept of a complete formula for success.

Suppose we assign the numbers 1-26 to the alphabet so that the letter “A” =1, “B” = 2, etc. … “Z” = 26. We then have the following:

Then we take “KNOWLEDGE” and quantify it by summing up the number values for each letter of the word.

K – N – O – W – L – E – D – G – E

11+14+15+ 23+12+5+4+7+15 = 96

“100” is generally considered a “perfect score” on a test and 100% is generally considered the whole of a quantity. So, knowledge alone falls short of the mark.

So, let’s try another attribute:

H – A – R – D – W – O – R – K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98

We are closer, but we still are not there.

Now, let’s try the third one:

A – T – T – I –T – U – D – E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100

Ah, we are finally at 100 – we are complete! But, we have not exceeded our expectations. We are not “over the top.” Our “Triangle of Success” is strong on the sides but void in the middle. What is missing?

Let’s try putting this in the middle:

L – O –V – E – O – F – G – O – D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101

There we are! We are not only good, we are great! When we put God in the middle of our lives, we exceed our expectations. We are at 101%! In fact, God is not only necessary to exceed our expectations, He is necessary to fulfill them at all. Without that strong inner core, our triangle could easily collapse from outside pressure placed on the sides, thus snapping them.

Even though the triangle is the strongest basic geometric figure, it is not indestructible. Without God in the center to offset the pressures on the sides, it is vulnerable. Do any of us live lives free from outside pressures? He is both the strength and the “cushion” in our lives.

So, our “Triangle for Success” now looks like this:

Creating such triangles to illustrate a point and relationships is nothing new. Motivational speakers do it all the time. But, I have never seen one before quite like this one. I believe that the spirit inspired me to draw it.

Well, excuse my Mathematical liberties, but remember and apply the concept demonstrated herein and your lives will be “bustin’ out all over” with success!