There are some great pieces of advice in this thread. The secret to success is not hard work. That is a part of it, but only a small part. I have had a side hustle for over ten years, but just made it my full time job in the last 3 years. I do not yet consider myself successful. When I see people working hard and making the right moves, always outside of their comfort level, that is when things start to happen. The most successful people make it routine and consistently do it without burning out. Even when they are discouraged they keep doing the work and taking the calculated risk for years...decades.
I have had success and failure in business, but my greatest failure was when I thought I had things going in the right direction and became content. Unless you are moving forward you are going backward.
I have been around many young people that think if they show up for work on time every day and work hard then they must be worth $100k + benefits + a company vehicle. It just doesn't work that way. They have developed this attitude because people have told them that if they work hard they will conquer the world because everyone else is a piece of shit.
Just like the story by another poster above, my dad was one of the most talented builders and also one of the best people persons I have ever meant. He was successful in life in many ways, buy he was not financially successful. Whenever he was ready to take a risk to make a gain, he was talked out of it by my mom or his parents. He was also, not consistent when he was discouraged. He spent his life working for the man because it was consistent and perceived by society as less risky.
I do not consider myself highly successful, but I have been around some very good people that I would consider very successful. Whenever I have seen someone that looks like they have all their shit together, I have realized something. They deal with way more adversity than I do. They take it in stride and handle it like nothing. They stick with the daily routine of pushing limits and crushing goals even when it is hard and the odds are against them. They might not hit the curveball over the left field wall every time, but they never miss an at bat, and they never go down looking at good pitches. They show up and put their best effort in day in and day out. It is physical and mental hard work and consistency, along with making the right moves and taking the right risks. When they make a mistake they own it and keep going regardless of whatever speed bump they created with their mistake. They are constantly trying to learn and be better and get to the next level. They have taught me that happiness is living up to your potential and showing up to kick ass every single day, not just in business, but as a husband, a dad, and a friend. They have also taught me that happiness for those who are very successful is a never ending pursuit because when you begin to live up to your true potential, you advance your potential, so the ability to do even more is there.
Given my personality, I owe a great deal to the people who taught me these lessons. I was gifted with a fair amount of intelligence, but I have a very standoffish personality. I do not consider myself successful, but I am far better off because of the lessons I have learned from those who were successful around me. It matters not how skilled or intelligent you are, the only thing that matters are the actions one takes to facilitate growth and success and the consistency and dedication with which one takes action.
No one is going to have the exact same path to success. Some will have it easier than others. It doesn't matter what someone else had to do to get to were they are. All that matters is that you get out of bed every morning with the drive to do what you need to do to get where you want to go. My eighth grade science teacher said it best, "The fair is in August," he would say. Nothing is guaranteed in this world, and hard work sure as hell doesn't guarantee financial success, but it is neccessary to achieve it.
