It seems like a lot of successful people say that there’s no secret to success, that it all boils down to hard work. Entrepreneurs say it, motivational speakers preach it like gospel, and even artists (whether they’re writers, painters, musicians, or sculptors) sing that tune. They say the only ones that make it are the ones that keep at it, that put in more time and effort than everybody else, that work hard at what they do. That’s their grand secret: that there is no secret, and that the key to achieving something is in putting in the hard work. As far as I’m concerned, it’s all bullshit.

I can’t argue that hard work isn’t a key element of all that stuff and that laziness is, but it’s only the byproduct of something more, something deeper. By itself it’s not really worth talking about. It’s not worth focusing on. Most people with…