The silver bullet

Chapter heading in the book I am currently reading:

"... anybody who wants anything need only do the work." - Swami Chetanananda, Dynamic Stillness

Quote of the Day from one of the email lists I subscribe to:

"The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work." - Oprah Winfrey, Talk Show Host

I see a pattern here, so I will comment on it.

People see "an overnight success" in sports, music, and business - and forget or don't realize that that person likely worked long and hard and sacrificed other goals for years to create their success. Athletes who trained rigorously for years just for the chance to try out for the team; musicians who slept in their cars and waited tables while perfecting their craft... company founders who put their all into their dream and lived meagerly for years while working to build their company...

A comment I read a while back by Brad Pitt's acting coach has stayed with me. She knew he was going to make it big not because he had talent, (lots of people have talent) but because he held down three jobs at once to pay for his acting lessons. Instead of waiting for his big break, he worked hard to afford coaching to augment his talent.

"Confidence is the most important single factor in this game, and no matter how great your talent, there is only one way to obtain it - work." -- Jack Nicklaus

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." - Calvin Coolidge