Look at the most successful people and they probably have two things in common — they’re passionate about what they do and they work hard at it. If you have just one of those ingredients it’s not enough.

Siimon Reynolds was successful at an early age thanks to his Grim Reaper advertising campaign warning us of the dangers of AIDS in the early ’90s. He says successful people are not brighter or given a leg-up thanks to opportunity — they just have persistence.

There’s another key element. Siimon (yes, it’s spelled like that) points to the work of Carol Dweck, who believes personal and business success comes from having a growth mindset.

Mark Bouris, the founder of Wizard Home Loans, says your parents also have a big part to play. They’re the ones who teach you how to work hard and that’s an ethic you need if you are to be successful.

Of course it’s hard to be committed to your work if you don’t enjoy it. Russell Johnson from EPR International says that 81 percent of Aussies are disengaged from our work, simply because we drift through our careers without taking control. If that’s you, then fixing that is the first issue.

First published on CBS News