Assuming that effort truly is the indicator of future success, would the probability of fulfilling a dream or achieving a destiny if you endured all hardships and challenged your difficulties with incredibly enthusiasm not be 100%?  If the aforementioned assumption is correct, then that statement would be true, but the assumption is not valid.  Otherwise, all struggling young actors would come into their own and achieve great success while Drew Barrymore would have never been in a movie.  Now, since this is not the case, we must accept that terrible fact that in any sort of competitive environment, it takes more than drive and ability in order to succeed; in fact, succeeding in a competitive endeavor relies on what could easily be compared to winning the lottery.  So, basically, we who are in college are devoting a portion of life which we will never have returned to us in order to specialize in a particular area, however focused that area may be, so that we can enter our names into a raffle for a prestigious job in order to perpetuate the cycle by sending our children through the educational pathways which we have just recently vacated.  In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter whether or not we had the highest paying job as, at the end of things, we are still dead.  Forget about living on through your children and that sentimental garbage; the fact of the matter is that we all die and the world doesn't take notice unless we are mightily influential.

Now, let's look at those who were mightily influential.  A great percentage of them were influential, rich, important, and powerful because they had a goal and abandoned all to achieve it.  When that goal was achieved, they were able to enjoy the fruits of their labors. I've got to stop writing and start working.  I'll be back later.

It's always nice to pep yourself up.