My idea of success is being satisfied with how you lived your life at the moment of death. I believe in order to accomplish that, Sharon is right, knowledge is the key. Specifically knowledge of one's self.
But you are not a species...you are an individual person with a consciousness, mind, memory and emotion. What survives in the context of a 'species' is merely a genetic code modified by the occasional mutation. You are not a genetic code...although your genetic code is something of yourself. What does it matter to you what happens to your genetic code after you are dead?
Steady hands are far more important to carpentry than trigonometry. Some of the most complicated gothic architecture the world has ever seen was built in medieval Europe...where trigonometry was virtually unknown until the 1500s.
I am an individual of a species, a subset of a larger set. Perhaps one of the 'keys to success' as mentioned in the OP is for the individual to recognize this fact. The culture of our species and modified behavior of other species seems also to live on, though it is possible that the two may share some correlation. Somewhat disagree. I am programmed by my genetic code to struggle to survive even though the alternative would be the path of least resistance. Absolutely nothing, especially as I have elected not to have any begets save for raising a few good horses. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I am doing what 'life' has programmed me to do, 'staying alive', by the rules of engagement in which I was conditioned, 'do no intentional harm to others' or 'the golden rule' of treating others as one would wish to be treated.
0.) Get up early and quit fucking around. 1.) Learn to love math. 2.) Learn how to program. 2.5.) If you have a reason to not learn your way around (Windows/Mac OS/Linux/UNIX), you're not thinking enough. 3.) Don't quit. 4.) Be interested in shit you don't understand, and let that guide you. 5.) Understand how you spent your time every day, especially if someone's paying you. 6.) Set goals that are achievable. 7.) Don't be afraid to call bullshit when you see bullshit. 8.) Doing anything for the sake of doing it usually turns out wrong for you. This has worked pretty well for me. The times in life that have been bad directly result from not following one of these rules: specifically 0, 2.5 and 8.
