First, let’s be clear that the definition of success is highly personal and no amount of material accumulation, no matter how staggering, can make up for an unhappy or dysfunctional personal/family relationship/home life.

That said, the most common response I get is ‘Hard Work’ i.e. some combination of passion, commitment, self-discipline, and dogged perseverance. While hard work is certainly necessary and fundamental, it is only the foundation: to go further, to come closer to your highest potential, whatever you envision it to be, in whatever field you wish to pursue, another ingredient is extremely important. You must seek out the environment, the people, and the situations that will support and propel you forward. 

Do NOT try to heroically overcome the odds in an unsupportive environment. As management genius Edwards Deming famously opined, “A bad system will beat a good person every time.” Instead, seek out a tailwind! Or as Warren Buffett said, “I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars: I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over.” Life, unlike Olympic gymnastics, rarely gives extra points for difficulty.

Remember: you are the sum total of the 5 people you spend the most time with so be smart, proactively choose your cohort wisely and with forethought; do not allow chance or circumstance to design your life or your environment. Plan your life (yes, plans are often altered but the process is invaluable) and write out your goals and action plans with accountability checkpoints. Be your own programmer, your own scriptwriter, your own cinema director. Work hard and turbo charge that effort by working smart too. Do so and you will succeed far beyond the norm. 

Closing Quotes:

“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.” – Epictetus, Enchiridion, c. 135 AD

“Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior… Motivation is overrated; environment often matters more.” – James Clear, Atomic Habits

“It is easier to change an environment than to change a person—or to rely purely on willpower.” – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, 1990

“Though you’re often told to make the best of your situation, it is far, far better to make your situation better first.” – Angela Duckworth, Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best

“When a management team with a reputation for brilliance tackles a business with a reputation for bad economics, it is the reputation of the business that remains intact.” – Warren Buffett, Shareholder Letter, 1980

As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier

Note: Every effort has been made to properly source any 3rd person material. I am, however, a voracious reader. If anyone finds any unattributed material, pls let me know asap and I will be delighted to give credit where credit is due.
“All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832