Secret to Success

John, a man in his early 40s, had struggled most of his life, having no college education, and working odd jobs just to keep his head above water throughout his adult life. He had many friends, though, all of which seemed to be very successful - owning houses and multiple expensive vehicles.

John watched as his friends continued to thrive in their lives; taking boats out on the weekend, swimming with their families in their below-ground swimming pools, and even going on vacations twice a year - something he was not even able to give his family once a year. He wondered if there were a secret to success. His friends must know something he did not know.

One of John's friends owned his own home, and even a lake house where the family would visit once a month just to "get away from it all."

"Must be nice," John thought.

He had watched his friends succeed for years, all of them having different careers, and he could feel his jealousy and envy welling up inside. He didn't want to be "like" his friends, but he wanted to experience just a taste of the success they had.

One particular friend of his, a man who John had grown to respect and love much like his own father, had been the most successful of them all. He lived in a very large eight bedroom house, one could consider a mansion, and he had three other homes to which he would vacation throughout the year.

One of his vacation homes was located in Florida, a three bedroom condominium just off the coast where you could watch the sunset every evening. Another vacation home was stationed in the Appalachian Mountains, where the family would go on ski trips. The third vacation home was located in California.

It was a massive home in which the family would have their family reunions; this house accommodated thirty plus people, having a grand total of fifteen restrooms, twenty-five bedrooms, two sun rooms, a great living room and a living room, a sitting room and a television room, a miniature movie theater, two dens, two adjoining dining rooms, a game room, and a ball room. It was the perfect setup for entertaining large groups of people at one time.

John's friend, Howard, had retired at the age of sixty, and was wealthy, to say the least. Howard was now sixty-two years old and living his best life. He had been an accountant for a large law firm, but had obtained this job years ago, when obtaining a degree was not a requirement.

"Some people just get lucky, I guess," John thought.

One day, John decided to look up the salary of an accountant. To his surprise, he learned the average salary of an accountant was less than $70,000 a year. Confused, John had to know what the secret was. Howard obviously made more money than $70,000 a year, so John figured there must've been a secret to all Howard's success.

Frustrated at this, and wanting to be successful himself, John called Howard for a serious conversation. He was dying to know what the secret was to Howard's success, and how he could also achieve the same success.

"Hello?" Howard's voice came through the telephone.

"Hey, it's John. I'm just going to cut to the chase. Look, I don't mean to pry into your personal business or financial situation, but for many years, I have watched you flourish, and I just have to know, what is your secret?"

There was a short pause on the other end of the line, followed by a chuckle, and then silence.

"Howard, I'm serious," John couldn't be more serious than he was now.

"Meet me at Pine Lake in the morning at 8:00 and I will show you," Howard's voice was clear and precise.

"I'll be there," John said, letting out a sigh and hanging up the phone.

John spent the rest of the evening in deep thought, fantasizing about buying a three bedroom house on a lake somewhere, or maybe even just taking his family on a weekend outing for dinner and a movie - something he was rarely able to do given his financial circumstances.

The next morning, John arrived at the lake fifteen minutes early. He grew seemingly impatient waiting on his friend to arrive. Howard arrived at exactly 8:00, as he had always been precise, but those fifteen minutes had seemed like hours for John.

Howard exited his vehicle and motioned for John to follow him to the outskirts of the lake. John followed suit, for at this point, John would do anything to be successful, to not struggle from paycheck to paycheck, and to give his family everything they deserved.

Howard entered the water, and John, just inches behind him, did not hesitate to follow. Once the two men were in water above their waists, Howard turned around and grabbed John, thrusting him into the water and holding him there, where John could not escape.

John began grasping at Howard's hands, kicking his legs and fighting for his life. When Howard noticed that John becoming weak, he loosened his grip and allowed John to ascend from the water.

Taking in a large breath of air, John exclaimed, "What the hell! Are you trying to kill me?"

Howard posed a slight grin on his face and asked in a calm tone, "What did you want more than anything when you were drowning?"

"Air!" John yelled at the wise man.

"Exactly. Air is the secret to success. When you want success badly enough, you will fight to achieve it. There is no other secret."