Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown.

The "secrets" in this book are typical of the incomplete thinking that is common to so many books on success, as explained in "Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total Nonsense" by J Pfeffer.

In a nutshell, the author reveals these mundane "secrets" which also ignore the millions who start their own businesses and fail but who also follow these strategies:

SECRET 1: Financial Success Is Possible in Almost Any Field, and
Lack of Education Doesn't Have to Hold You Back.
SECRET 2: Working Hard Doesn't Mean Working All the Time.
SECRET 3: Focus on Fulfilling Your Values Rather Than Financial Gain.
SECRET 4: Loving What You Do Is Much More Important
Than What You Do.
SECRET 5: Feel the Fear. Have the Doubts. Go for It Anyway.
SECRET 6: Think in Terms of Trade-offs, Not Sacrifices, to Find a Workable Equilibrium.
SECRET 7: Sometimes You Just Have to Shrug It Off and Have a Good Laugh.
SECRET 8: Appreciate Abundance.

SIX-FIGURE TRAITS
1. A profit motive. Money per se may not be their driving force, but six-figure women absolutely expect to be well compensated for their work. They want to make money. They feel good about making money. They enjoy what money gives them. Profit, to these women, has a positive ring.
2. Audacity. Every woman I interviewed came to a point where she had to step outside her comfort zone and do something she wasn't completely sure she could do. It was rarely an experience she relished, nor did she always succeed. But she worked up the moxie to make the effort.
3. Resilience. They all had the grit to get back up and keep going when they didn't succeed or when they encountered setbacks.
4. Encouragement. Six-figure women have tremendously nurturing relationships with one or more people who believe in them, support them, continually root for them, and sometimes prod them along. Some, but definitely not all, had encouraging parents. Every one has remarkable friendships. And for those in a committed relationship, a supportive husband or partner is invariably cited as essential to their success.

STRATEGIES FOR EARNING MORE

1. Declare your intention to make good money.
2. Let go of where you are (leave your job if you feel stuck)
3. Decide which game to play - "play it safe" or "gamble to win"
4. Jump in, ready or not.
5. Keep on truckin'.
6. Grab opportunities.
7. No excuses allowed.
8. Ignore naysayers.
9. Never personalize.

Really, it's hard to believe that anyone can take this type of book seriously. This is akin to the New Age dictum that your thoughts are responsible for all your health problems and can also heal you - if you accept that, then logically you would also have to accept that your thoughts were responsible for the Grand Canyon. Two very different areas? Not really, one is just an extreme of the other.

[later note: Far better to read "Outliers: the story of success" by Malcolm Gladwell, who shows that success is complicated and is often the product of hidden advantages of culture, timing, demographics and luck. But that's probably not want you wanted to know, is it? Fine, then read "The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How" by Daniel Coyle - at least it's research-based; also Csikszentmihalyi's now-classic "Flow" and Ericsson's "Development of Professional Expertise", perhaps the finest book written (so far) on how to generate great individual and group performances (short version: mastery takes "grit": perseverance, effort - NOT struggle but difficult, painful all-consuming effort - and passion for long-term goals).

Even later note: "The Longevity Project" by Friedman and Martin is a groundbreaking 80-year overview on what is really directly linked to success, happiness and health. Don't miss!]