Traits such as grit, hard work, determination, and luck are not the secret. They are the obvious ingredients.<p>But grit, hard work, and determination are also redundant for someone who possesses immense passion. Passion will make you gritty, hard working, and determined. It will keep you focused, and keep your mind on topic.<p>Luck is also redundant because it is unscientific and untraceable (it is metaphysical). In hindsight we love to say the stars aligned or that miracles happened, but from the perspective of the do-er, none of it really matters because you never count on luck. As an entrepreneur, you pay to roll the dice, and you simply continue to roll it until you get what you need, praying you&#x27;ll get enough tries. An outsider may say you were determined and that you got lucky, but no. You were passionate, and just kept trying because you had no other choice. If anything, to not have a choice is the secret to success. Determined as in determinism, not emotion. Successful people were bound to be successful.<p>My father used to administer for a school which he was no longer proud to be a part of. He had a proposal for a new school and sent it to some people. Miraculously, he finds a sponsor, and his dream comes true. He tells me how lucky he was and how that event saved his life. But to that I say, &quot;Well, who else was able to build a school from scratch, let alone an international school in Tokyo?&quot; He may have been lucky, but he was also probably the only person standing on Earth that could have done what he could. He is passionate about education. Needless to say, he succeeded. <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;newis.ed.jp&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;newis.ed.jp&#x2F;</a><p>My father is not an entrepreneur. But he had what it took to make things happen. And that&#x27;s the secret to success. It&#x27;s the ability to make things happen.