If you don’t do the work, success isn’t likely to happen for you. You might get lucky, of course, but this isn’t true success as far as I’m concerned.

The work is hard, requires desire, passion, discipline and patience – ‘long haul’ mentality – but you’ve got to do it. Luck runs out but the road to success is a long and hard one and can be very fruitful over time. Work hard and luck will help you along the way but don’t ever rely on it.

There will be bad times. Bad days. Really bad things can and will happen. Plans will change. People will turn, or change their minds. Things break. Targets won’t always be met. But you’ve got to smile through it all and keep doing the work. This remains a constant at all times. Discipline, passion, desire and patience, all day, every day.

Luck can also be very fickle. You’ve got to grab onto her coattails (I like to think her as a woman – Lady Luck) and stay hanging on for the ride but be prepared for the time when you’ll get dropped – it always comes and you must accept it. No malice or annoyance, just say ‘thanks for the ride, see you next time!’.

Be thankful that you’re born, have the chances many don’t have and don’t let the opportunity for greatness pass you by. Take the chance. You can be everything you want to be. Your own power and potential is limited by nothing but you. Go and make it happen.

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Ian Mountford is a global recruitment expert and strategy coach providing motivation and guidance to entrepreneurs, wannabe or fully-fledged. He draws from his own experience of building businesses from the ground up and spending many years helping clients to consistently achieve their goals and aspirations. Ian works with clients face-to-face and internationally.