"The Real Thing"

If you ever get the chance to visit "The World of Coca Cola" museum in Atlanta, Georgia, do so!  It's a great place to learn about the history of Coca Cola, watch some classic Coca Cola television commercials, and taste a variety of Coca Cola's soft drink products from around the world.  Since my last visit there, I think that they now even store the "secret formula" to Coca Cola there in a special vault.  The formula is so secret, that it's rumored that only three people at any one time know it!

Brian Dyson was the Chief Executive Officer of Coca Cola Enterprises, Inc from 1986 to 1991.  He delivered the Commencement Speech at Georgia Tech's 172nd Commencement on September 6, 1991, that has come to be known as the "Five Balls of Life" speech.  The full speech is well worth a read and can be found on the Internet here.  Building on the "secret formula" theme, Dyson told the graduating seniors that the ingredients for future success ("the secret formula" if you will) involved three things: "vision, knowing what you want to be when you grow up; confidence, knowing who you are; and luck, or what I would call being in the right place at the right time."  He goes on to talk about the history of The Coca Cola Company to provide examples of each of these three ingredients.

Dyson says, "The first ingredient in the secret formula for success is vision - what you would like to be.  Because remember that we all live under the same sky, but we do not have the same horizon."  He goes on to say that "life belongs to the discontented - that restlessness of spirit that impels some of us to go that extra step that brings about a breakthrough."  

The next ingredient in the secret formula for success is confidence, which Dyson defines as "a basic acceptance of what I am and a realistic understanding of what I am not. It is an understanding of your potential."  He goes on to recommend focusing on our strengths and "developing them to the max." He also talks about "being at the right place at the right time" but is quick to point out that "Sometimes you have to make your own luck" (I couldn't agree more - see my posts, "Good luck is the twin of hard work", "Lucky Breaks", and most recently, "Study the Wind").

Dyson ends with his metaphor on the "Five Balls of Life".  He cautions the graduating seniors to make sure that they bring balance into their lives.  He says, "Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air.  You name them - work, family, health, friends, and spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air.  You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball.  If you drop it, it will bounce back.  But the other four balls - family, health, friends, and spirit - are made of glass.  If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered.  They will never be the same.  You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."

Pretty good advice.