Success Formula

Albert Einstein, one of the greatest theoretical physicists, had a formula for success.

He said, "If A equals success, then the formula is: A=X+Y+Z.

X is work.

Y is play.

Z is keep your mouth shut."

Definitely, "work" is the path to achieve success. It's like a car that you need to drive to approach your success destination. With that being said, "play" is the gas you need to fuel your car so that it won't stop in the middle of the path to success.

So, what is "keep your mouth shut"?

By definition, "keep your mouth shut" means "not say anything, quite". It's about shifting one's mindset from being a talker to a listener. In the book "How To Win Friends And Influence People", the author Dale Carnegie said that one can make more friends in five minutes by becoming interested in others than one can make in five years of trying to get others interested in you.

Interestingly, there are tons of articles talking about the power of being quite. For example, in the "Listen to the Power of Quite People", the author talks about quite people are smart people and they got the strongest voice, even in the culture nowadays that the society tends to favor loud people.

My own take is that shutting my mouth or to be quiet is not only shifting my mindset from being a talker to a listener. Well, I am labelled as not-that-talkative people by whoever know me. But I do become talkative when I feel agitated or annoyed.

Thus, to me, shutting my mouth alters my mindset from being negative to positive.

Here, I'd like to share a story just happened to me today.

My job is performing compliance water sample analyses at a wastewater treatment facility. Like a normal work day, I reported to work and got myself ready to start. I saw from the monitor screen that the press machine for one of the long-testing sample was on standby. By experience, I am prepared that it could be a long day. Because the sample came from that machine takes total 3 hours to analyze, so I have to work extra hours if that machine was put in service late. But, chances are that this press machine may stay in standby mode the whole day due to maintenance.

Now the "drama" kicks off. Soon after, I was told that there's a special disinfection chemical sample awaiting to collect and analyze. And, as soon as I arrive the sample collection location, I was informed that there'll be a second special sample to collect within couple hours. When I returned to the lab, many of my routine water samples were looking abnormally heavy in solid content. I have to make multiple phone calls to the operations to obtain duplicate samples. Just after I ended the phone calls, the press machine (on standby in the beginning) turned to be in service.

Multiple miscellaneous things popped up all of a sudden, breaking down my work schedule as well as my spirit. I began to complain. Bugging my colleagues with my voices telling them what happened and how I felt and bla bla bla.

This is a bad day, isn't it?

NO!

Suddenly, a voice came to my mind. "And God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear." (1 Corinthians 10:13) This Bible verse like a bowl of cold water cooled me down. I reviewed what happened to me just now, and you know what, I realized that "Hey, that's not the end of the world!" Out of no reason I shall complain. The company pays me to work, so those were within my responsibilities. I better shut my mouth and stop the "bla bla bla". "Bla bla bla" wouldn't make any progress in terms of finishing the work. Look at how my Lord Jesus were doing? "He will not quarrel or cry out, no one will hear his voice in the streets." (Mathew 12:19) How wisdom he is!

And, how wonderful it was to shut my mouth and shifted gear my mindset!

I shut-up and surprisingly but surely completed all sample analyses way ahead of the due time of the day.