And I thought the days of snake oil salesmen and traveling hucksters were over.

I used to be blissfully ignorant about such things before I got interested in business.

Sure, I thought, there are a few shady characters out there, but most people are straight up and the FTC takes care of the rest.

Ah, simpler times . . .

Ignorance is bliss, right?

But it didn’t last forever.  The moment I got a little interested in making money, all sorts of modern-day charlatans started beckoning to me from their spots in the world’s collective alley.

Some were more sophisticated than others, but the substance of their message was always the same.  It boiled down to these 4 things:

• There is a secret “formula” to develop a successful business;

• I am in possession of this formula;

• Everyone offering different formulas is lying; and

• I will let you in on this formula if you approve a $67/month recurring payment to my PayPal account.

You filter out the cheesiest characters instantly, but some of the slicker ones give you pause.  You see how successful some of them are . . . and you wonder whether you’re being carless just writing all of them off.

So you buy 10 or 12 products with 10 or 12 different “moneymaking systems.”  You give them all a chance, but you end up frustrated when you don’t enjoy the success you hoped for.

Then you throw those products away and start looking for . . . the next success formula!

It’s crazy, but you keep looking anyway.  You want this too bad to give up.

Well, I’m about to give you the answer you’ve chasing for all of these years.

It won’t cost you a penny.

It will make you uncomfortable, though.  I bet half the people who read it will refuse to believe it and continue on their fruitless quest for the perfect formula, blueprint, or checklist.

But for the open minded . . . the solution you’ve been looking for is simple.  It’s not what you want to hear, but it will cut your hopeless quest short before it drives you completely insane.

Ready?

There is no magic success formula.  There never was and there never will be, either.  Anyone telling you otherwise (and asking you to pay them for their method) is being less than genuine.

People get stuck on this path – of chasing that one method that will guarantee them success – because they want it to exist so badly they can’t bear the thought of giving up the idea.  They wish it into existence in their minds because they want someone to hold their hand along the way.

So business “gurus” (many of whom make their big bucks selling their systems instead of actually following what they preach) release an endless stream of moneymaking systems catering to this delusion.

It’s an imaginary problem – one people are desperate to solve – without a real solution.  It’s a savvy marketer’s dream.

For the aspiring businessperson, this leads to information overload, analysis paralysis, and all those other fancy words that are symptoms of the same problem: a lack of meaningful actions (and results).

Don’t worry about how to filter these experts anymore.

If you’re looking for a system of success, you’re asking yourself the wrong question.

It’s time to change the inquiry.

Ask yourself:

“How can I build a system that will ensure I (with my unique talents and abilities) will succeed?”

No one can do this for you.  You have to do it own your own.  It’s exciting and scary to stop looking for the answers and start actually building something.

Start cultivating a bullet-proof mindset that empowers you.  Pick up universal, “nuts and bolts” business skills (like copywriting and marketing) that will serve you no matter what your field.

Then take that knowledge and put your own unique spin on it.

Copycats might be comfortable but they’ll never be earth-shakers, yacht owners, or world-changers.

It takes building your own thing to get to that level.  And if you’re going striving to be successful anyway, why not go all the way?

So break out your chemistry set and keep your fire extinguisher close by.  Don’t worry about the small fires that will inevitably break out from time to time.  Put them out, refocus, and keep moving.

Don’t stop experimenting until you come across something that works for you.

It’s more fun, and a hell of a lot more fulfilling, to live your life this way.

P.S. What do you do to create your own success formula?  Have you had frustrations looking for a “pre-packaged” one in the past?  Tell me about it!  Leave me a comment and let me know.