Winners Are Made, Not Born

From the book Simple Secrets for Becoming Healthy, Wealthy & Wise, by David Niven:

'The great successes of our time are just extraordinary people whom fate smiled on. Aren't they?

In truth, people who get ahead get where they are by strategically following a pattern that produces success. They learn what it takes to get ahead. We understand that to build a house it takes a plan - a blueprint. But we sometimes forget that to build a successful life it also takes a blueprint.

Case studies of business executives reveal that 98 percent see their position as the result of plans and strategy and that more than 50 percent credit using a successful person as an example to help define that plan.'

Winners make themselves winners.