You can read about success strategies, mindsets and approaches until your eyes dry up and wither away. There are countless different outlooks regarding what creates success and how to emulate those who’ve reached the top of the mountain, so to speak. Sometimes, though, it’s good to clear one’s head a bit by getting back to the basics.

With that in mind, let’s cut to the quick and look at three not-so-secret success secrets. This is a trio of “in your face” musts that often are overlooked as we dig deep into the world of personal growth and self-improvement.

Work Hard

As much as we’d all like to find the magic pill that would completely transform our lives, the fact of the matter is that a little elbow grease is necessary to get the success machine in operation. You can’t hope for things to happen by luck or desire alone. While people can laud the Law of Attraction, they’ll even tell you that none of it really matters if you don’t accompanying your manifestations with action. The more action you take, the greater your odds for success will be. It’s not sexy, but it’s true.

Work Smart

There are those who’ll say, “Work smart, not hard”. That’s not the worst plan in the world, but there is a better one. Work hard and smart. As you’re pursuing the necessary actions to reach your goal, look for ways to do things better. Seek efficiency. Pursue knowledge. Benefit from the experience of others. If you can find ways to reduce the effort necessary to complete a task, you’ll accelerate your march toward success.

Keep Working

Do you know why so many people are looking for success secrets? It’s often because they forget this critical part of the success formula. They may have everything they need to reach their goals, but they don’t get the job done because they bail out too soon. You need to do the work and you need to do it the right way. You also need to do enough of it to get from where you are to where you want to be.

That’s a simple look at what it takes to “make it”, isn’t it? Those not-so-secret success secrets may not be the kind of thing that make you stroke your chin and say “aha!” They are, however, core principles that get lost in the shuffle way too often.