t's always amazing when people can take a personal hardship and turn it into something positive-not only for themselves, but for others to benefit from. That's exactly what Frank F. Lunn has done in his book, "Stack the Logs!"

In 2002, Lunn's son, Frankie, was diagnosed with leukemia. While Frankie was undergoing treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., Lunn reflected on an idea he had for a book that had been in the back of his mind for quite a while. This idea grew from advice Lunn received from his father to "stack the logs": Stack one decision and choice on top of the last, until the success is achieved. And eventually the pile of logs is so high, no one can miss it.

In 1995, Lunn, a small business entrepreneur and marketing expert, founded Kahuna Business Group-an ATM affiliate and business cooperative that partners with various vendors to sell products and services through a network of independent affiliate organizations.

In the first chapter of "Stack the Logs!" Lunn reveals the secret principle of success, which he says is in plain view for everyone to use, but few actually do. He explains that success is frequently talked about but rarely understood.

Lunn says the real secret to success is "a cumulative achievement with no real shortcuts." That's obvious, right? But caught up in our busy lives and our day-to-day troubles, not only do we often fail to reflect on the obvious, we often fail to reflect on much of anything at all. This is why we, as both ordinary and extraordinary individuals, need reminders and new insights that can be found in the pages of "Stack the Logs!"

Lunn uses the concept of compound interest as a working metaphor in our lives. He calls it the Incremental Cumulative Effect (ICE) formula. The idea behind this philosophy is that where you are in your life right now is the result of small decision after small decision. These decisions are "compounded" and when you add them up, together they are the sum of your life.

In fact, you can plot these decisions on a graph-Lunn calls it your "personal success graph"-and as you stack your logs, the results start to form a J curve. If a spike appears on the graph, it is the result of consistent, dedicated and thorough effort over time, or the compound interest of success: our "applied incremental advantage."

The theme for "Stack the Logs!" comes from what Lunn defines as the STACK Strategy for guaranteed success: Set your destination and course; Take immediate action; Accept results simply as feedback; Correct your course based on feedback; and Keep Stacking the Logs.

The book offers twenty inspirational chapters loaded with clever examples and rousing stories of individuals from Lunn's life and throughout history who in their own ways have put this belief system to work and achieved success by applying their own versions of the STACK philosophy.

These stories are intended to inspire you to incorporate the STACK strategy into your life. There are chapters on the importance of setting your goals and planning for them, building momentum, dealing with disappointment and setbacks, staying focused (and positive) and maintaining integrity while on your journey.

Some noteworthy sections include: Breaking the Chains of Average; You, Inc.; Abraham Lincoln's Journey; Acres of Diamonds; Act as If; Poison in Your System; Flying Lessons; Forging Steel; and Crabs in a Bucket. Once you've mastered STACK, Lunn presents an Advanced STACK strategy in the final chapter of the book, which he says is a plan guaranteed to work 100% of the time.

The book is well paced, astute and can be read in a few long sittings, or flipped through on those days when you need a reminder of why every decision you make is important; or you might simply need to be inspired at a particular moment. I certainly was.

Lunn credits St. Jude Children's Hospital for saving his son's life, and he has set a goal of donating $1 million to the hospital through a 10% tithe on all proceeds from the book. For more information on Lunn, his son Frankie's story and "Stack the Logs!" visit the Web site www.stackthelogs.com .

"Stack the Logs! Building A Success Framework To Reach Your Dreams"
By Frank F. Lunn
Kahuna Business Group, Bloomington, Ill., 2004
ISBN: 0-9728300-4-9 (Hardback), 320 pages
Available on www.stackthelogs.com