If you follow this Blog I like to include
information about how students, parents, and teachers can all be more
successful by giving more effort, setting goals, or having a plan established
to face challenges head on. You know I also like to find information on
Twitter and share it here on my Blog because often times the articles or Blog
info relates very well with the message we are trying to convey to students
here at Belle Plaine.
The article below pertains to the qualities
that most anyone can use to help you experience more success in whatever you
do. The author shares what he has identified as the "Triangle of
Succes". At each corner of the triangle are Mind, Emotion, and Will.
At the center of the triangle and the key to all three corners is
Perseverance. When I speak with students, parents, or entire classes I
try to emphasize how these qualities can help them achieve more success and
share with them ways to do this. I give examples of how these qualities
have assisted me with reaching goals and I direct them towards people in their
life such as teachers, coaches, parents, and other mentors who can help them
along the way. If just one gets the message then the effort was a success.
The Triangle for Success
Success is a direct result of applying the right principles to your professional life and your personal life. The question is what are the right principles to apply in order to achieve success? Over the years of studying, four primary principles of success continue to surface from the ancient writers. I call these four principles the triangle of success.
The “triangle” of success because one
principle is placed at each corner of the triangle and the crucial principle is
positioned in the heart of the triangle. The heart of the triangle is what
promises success to the other three principles.
The other three principles at the corner of
the triangles embody the essence of men and women. You will see what I am
talking about as I unfold these three.
Mind
The first corner of the triangle is your
thinking process; or in other ! words exercising your mind. Learning is a
necessary step towards growing. Growth is imperative to achieve success.
Aristotle puts it succinctly, he writes, “It is the mark of an educated mind to
be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
Success follows the ability to analyze a
subject, make sound judgments while moving toward your objectives. “You are to
be a student, not a follower”, says Jim Rohn. That is exactly what professionals
are, they are students. Success is the goal; therefore, continuous training,
instruction, and being mentored is the process.
Those who are successful pay the price. They
apply the disciplines of learning. They have placed value on education and
training. I, personally, think that if you are a student, always applying the
disciplines of learning, that your philosophies of life will be improving,
better ideas come to your thinking, which all leads to success.
Education is something that no one can ever
take away from you. It helps to develop and define who you are.
“The best of all things is to learn. Money
can be lost or stolen, health and strength may fail, but what you have
committed to your mind is yours forever.”
–Louis L’Amour (1908-1988)
Emotions
Your emotion is the second corner of the
triangle. Passionately pursuing after your objectives leads to success. This is
not to say that your objectives come before people in your life, but the
principle is to be well taken-success is dependent on your inner drive to
achieve it.
The truth is, you will do what you want to
do. If you want something bad enough you will dwell on it all of the time doing
whatever is necessary to reach your goal. That is passion. Kahlil Gibran said,
“All that spirits desire, spirits attain.”
Perhaps G. W. F. Hegel says is best, “Nothing
great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.” You see what I
mean when I said above that these principles surface every where I studied?
These are the principles that made men and women great.
The reasons that they do surface is that
these principles are at the core of who and what we are made of inside. You
were designed with a purpose and the driving force within you motivates you to
accomplish your purpose in life.
“Dwell not upon thy weariness, thy strength
shall be according to the measure of thy desire.”
Arab Proverb
Will
The third corner of the triangle is your
will. Eventually, you have to step out and do what you desire. If you never
decide to reach for your dream, you will remain in the stands with the majority
of people in life.
Perhaps you have fear, hurt, or insecurity,
holding you back; if you permit these or any others to control your actions
success stands aloof. A mentor at this point may be more helpful, than, reading
a book or two. At times we need someone to hold us accountable so that we will
do the necessary follow through.
Depending on your temperament exercising your
will towards your objectives may take a lot of courage, but courage is what
guarantees that these others will work. If you don’t have the courage to start
you never will know, now will you?
I can not stress it strong enough that taking
action is one of the most important principles to achieving your dreams. Jim
Rohn, says, “Some are always picking the fruit, while others are always,
examining the roots.” Consistent action will produce results. It is the law of
sowing and reaping. You reap what you sow, in other words, you get what you
deserve, not what you need. Plant enough seeds and you will find growth. It is
the law of ratio. Ask enough people and someone will join or buy.
“The difference between a successful person
and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a
lack of will.”
– Vincent T. Lombardi
Perseverance
Now, what is in the heart or center of the
triangle that will enable you to succeed? Every successful person has this. Do
you know? I will give you a clue it begins with a P, now you fill in the blank,
P__________. It is perseverance! Perseverance is the inner strength to get back
into the battle after you have been wounded. As I observe those who succeed and
those who don’t, it appears to me that the difference is in perseverance.
Those with perseverance don’t stop until they
reach their goal. They are relentless! Just when you thought they were down and
out this time, sure as the world, they manage, some how, to get back up again.
I love to visit Chocolate World. It is
located in Hershey, PA. They make, obviously, Hershey’s chocolate. You get to
take a tour to see how they make all of that chocolate and at the end of the
ride you get a piece of free chocolate and/or the opportunity to buy all the
chocolate you want. But, the significant part of the tour is reading “bits and
pieces” of Milton Hershey’s life (the founder). He, like so many others, failed
three times in the business world, before he was successful. He had a dream and
would not let go of it.
Was he ever discouraged? You know he was. Did
he ever want to quit? Who doesn’t? Did others talk bad about him? I think some
still do. However, those are not the right questions to ask. Better questions
are: “Did he quit?” And “What kept him from quitting?” Or, “How did he
persevere?”
No, he did not give up. He persevered through
the hard times and some unbearable problems. How did he do that? What kept him
going? The same way thousand’s of others did it. The big “P” was in the center of
the triangle. Perseverance was the heart of their passion, attitude, and will.
Napolean Hill captures the three corners of
the triangle when he writes, “Create a definite plan for carrying out your
desire and begin at once, whether you ready or not, to put this plan into
action.” As you add perseverance to this success formula it is one sure way to,
at least, do your part to succeed. There are never any promises how life will
turn out, but one thing for sure, neglect the right principles and you are removing
the possibilities of success.
I will conclude with the words of Abraham
Lincoln, “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more
important than any one thing.”
About The Author: Dr. John E. Neyman, Jr. is a Pastor, author, speaker, and
relationship coach. You may contact Dr John at drjohnneyman@gmail.com or visit
his site at LeadersExcel.com
