High hopes and good intentions

As if those were ever enough

Something more must be necessary

But only God knows what

Hard work, dedication, commitment

Those are all necessary too

But there’s something else

Maybe it’s luck

Or maybe it’s fate or karma

Some special ingredient

That successful people have

And others don’t

Maybe it’s self-belief

But it has to be real self-belief

The kind that is only earned

The hard way

By failing and trying again and again

And having success

Only after struggling mightily

That’s real self-belief

Easy wins won’t get you there

But tough losses might

So long as you get back up afterwards

Maybe that’s the special ingredient

That successful people have

It’s getting back up