Here’s something I came across while reading the other day. It sums up a great many things that I believe.

Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it. The man who knows how will always have a job. The man who also knows why will always be his boss. As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is dangerous to think that there is a shortcut to success, that just learning the latest trick of the trade will finally make everything work out for you.

The truth is that if you concentrate on learning correct principles, ideas, and habits it won’t matter too much what techniques you use. You’ll find success.