More books have
been written on the secret of success than just about any other
topic.
Uncounted "experts"
and unnamed (and usually unaccredited) schools have profited
from this state of affairs, of course, serving up an endless
supply of weekend workshops and self-help seminars, with tuition
and fees that speak volumes about how well the courses' designers
succeed in helping themselves.
Still, after
we've read all there is to read and have taken all the courses
in all the community colleges and all the hotel conference rooms,
it might come as a shock when we realize that there is no "secret"
to success -- not one infallible foolproof formula in the whole
batch.
Unless, of course,
you count simple hard work and determination.
All of this reminds
me of the young man who set himself on the quest to find the
secret of success. After many months of study and interviews
with successful people, he finally put a point on his entire
enterprise in this way: "I have not yet discovered the secret
of success, but I am afraid that it is work."
I'm afraid that
I'll have to confirm the young man's findings, but I will add
this afterthought: Maybe we need to change our conception of
success. Mine might not be the same as yours.
And that's
okay.