Zen Garden > You Cannot Be Spoon-fed Your Way to Success

So many people bemoan and bewail their lack of success. But when you look behind the scenes it is easy to see why failure is such a popular pass-time.

There are many reasons for failure. These include lack of:

These are just some of those reasons. However, it would seem that most people expect success just to fall out of the sky right into their laps. In short, they demand to be spoon-fed.

Everything today is geared towards what I call the "instant society." We want something and we want it NOW! Not next year, not next month, not next week, not tomorrow, not in an hour's time, not even in ten minutes. We want it right now. This instant!

We want instant results - no - we DEMAND instant results. Look at the following:

The problem is - success is never instant. And this is where the instant society gets all caught up. They only see the "end result" of success and they assume that it too is instant. They never get to see the struggle that goes on for ten or twenty or thirty years behind the scenes. All they see and hear about is somebody who has succeeded and who is finally being recognized for a long and determined effort. So they get depressed and think "why them and not me?"

Many people then take the next best option - spoon-feeding. "Hey! Here I am. Make me successful!" Like a petulant child they expect everybody else to do all the work for them and Hey Presto! Success.

Why do you think so many kooky plans and programs pervade the instant information on the internet? Look at the Nigerian-type scam letters. They've been around for years but they are still catching people up. So too are the Ponzi schemes, search engine optimization schemes for internet marketers and the various "you've won our lottery" scams. Look at all the people who play lotto, visit casinos, bet on horses. Everybody wants the quick fix.

Smart operators, scammers and con-artists are catering to the hungry hordes of hopefuls. These types make outrageous claims and promises all designed to take advantage of the "success-me-over" brigade. All are trying to leverage the one thing that we are all scarce of - time. Quick fixes might look attractive on first inspection but real success can only come with proper exertion over an extended period of time.

The key to success is to work hard on a smart plan. If you are not prepared to plan smart and work hard then success will always elude you. If you expect to be spoon-fed your way to success then perhaps you should think again.

Gary Simpson is a 7th Dan karate master who teaches self defense, motivation, self help and wealth building to students around the world through home study courses. You may reprint this article as you include this author credit and an active link to his web site. Finance - Self Help - Motivation - Self Defense - Personal Growth MotivationSelfEsteem.com