Yeah, it isn't simply working hard.

You have to put your effort into learning skills that are valuable to the market. Lots of people work hard at a job, but do they work hard at improving themselves, adding effort to their talents to improve their skills, and then adding effort to their skills to produce value?

No, most do not. Sadly, they do not have the motivation and grit to do it. Speaking of grit, I posted recently about Angela Duckworth's book. She talks about grit and passion and why they are key to being successful.

Look up her book for more information, and/or check out my post for a short summary of the wisdom she shared. Here is the simple formula she came up with though:

Talent X Effort = Skill
Skill X Effort = Acheivement

Building on a natural talent is the best option, and being passionate about that skill helps tremendously. Why? Effort is key. Therefore, being naturally good at something and passionate about it makes putting the effort in easy!