"Dreams are the key to happiness. Dreams are the key to success." - Unknown author
Admit it or not, we've all read an article or two about the mythical "keys" to success, which can quickly make us cynical when we read countless sentimental stories about breaking through walls and ceilings, doors and all other wooden or glass surfaces.
In general, there is nothing wrong with this. It might be a little reckless, but it's not harmful. The problem happens when these "advisors" start seriously and too dangerously reducing their recipes for success. Reductionism, or the tendency to oversimplify complex subjects, narrows people's view and blinds them to important things. This is especially true of the concept of success. While "reductionist gurus" claim that there is only one key to success, there actually are five!
1. Determination
Determination, despite obstacles or difficulties, leads to the goal. Great things are difficult and often harder to achieve than you would dare to believe. People tend to say, "I knew this and that would be difficult, but not this difficult." Determination requires a high tolerance for pain and monotony. Monotony, repeating the same thing day after day, is an essential part of determination.
Mozart is a classic example of a "boy wonder". People seem to think that he just sat down at the piano one day and immediately wrote the famous Symphony No. 41. This is complete nonsense. A close examination of Mozart's history reveals that he was an incredibly hardworking man who had some natural talent, but who mainly achieved his successes through determination.
2. Skill
Skill has a lot to do with your choices. If you want your children to be great at something, it's a mistake to tell them they can be whatever they want. You can't be good at what you want. Everyone can be great at something, but it's unique to each individual.
For example, you cannot be great at basketball because of your physique and lack of passion for sports. But you can excel in painting depending on your potential. You should choose a profession, hobbies, etc. that you have the potential to be good at.
3. Passion
Malcolm Gladwell describes in his book Outliers "the 10,000 hour rule." A rule of thumb that seems to hold true in various fields states that it takes 10,000 hours to truly master any complex skill. No wonder most agree with mediocrity - 10,000 hours is a lot of blood, sweat and tears!
Talking about determination is one thing, but staying determined for years and decades - how do you do it? The answer is passion. If you don't have a passion, if you're not interested in something, doing it day after day is miserable at best and impossible at worst.
Passion is the only recipe. In a way, the saying goes: "If you love what you do, you never have to work" real.
4. Discipline
Even if you're passionate about something, there are still times when you just don't feel like it - that's when you need discipline.
If you want to be great at something, you can't just go with the flow and live based on how you feel. A life of waiting for divine inspiration is a wasted life. Pick something you love and are good at, then stick with it whether you like it or not.
5. Happiness
Last but not least, you need luck. Talk to any highly successful person and they will all agree that you need some luck to get where they are. Happiness comes in many forms: genetics, society, time, taste.
The thing about happiness is that weak people often use their lack of happiness as a crutch. They complain that successful people only got to where they are because they are lucky. This is nonsense.
Of course, some people are luckier than others, but if you choose the right career and work hard, chances are good luck will be in your favor. Highly successful people are usually self-aware enough to know that they can earn their happiness.
If you are lucky, be grateful and get to work. If not, skip directly to number two.
