Although the old 'rainbow's end' story is meant to teach us that nothing comes easily and that riches don't just fall into our lap, it doesn't offer any suggestions as to how to reach the crock of gold at all! This is unfortunate as there are ways of doing this but, as the story rightly points out, they do not involve chasing shadows.

It's almost a given that the majority of people want to improve their lives - and that this generally involves the accumulation of quantities of cash! And though it's true to say that money isn't everything, it does give you the one thing that most people really want - freedom. Unfortunately it's very difficult - especially if you are in a poor position financially - to ever see yourself in the shoes of those who seem to have it all.

Yet there is a way up. Before I tell you what the way is, I want you to forget all the 'get-rich-quick' schemes you ever heard of. Why? Simple - none of them work. If they did, we'd all be millionaires. So why do people offer to tell you their 'secrets of success'? To illustrate that, let's think about gold again - this time, the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century.

True, some people got rich - and thousands more didn't. However, the ones that really made it were not the ones panning for gold and dreaming of riches. No - the ones that made the money were those supplying the dreamers. Maybe you've heard of some of them - a certain Levi Strauss springs to mind!

In the same way, people who offer these schemes today - on the internet or in magazines - are 'supplying the dreamers'. Don't be caught out by them. Losing your hard-earned cash is bad enough but the blow to your morale is perhaps worse - you've been had! Surely then you're a fool who'll never succeed if you're taken in so easily? Rubbish.

There is only one sure way to accumulate wealth. It's no secret - so why don't people go for it? I'll tell you. It's because it's not easy - in fact it's darned hard. It relies on you being dedicated, focused and mentally tough. It requires on your abilities to set goals, keep to them and never giving up. It demands that you know what you want, why you want it and when you want it by.

In short, it's all about the ability to do a few simple (but not easy!) things. One - know exactly what you want to have from your efforts. 2 - Identify what you have to do to get what you want. 3 - Do it. Simple, isn't it? I'm pretty confident that 99.99% of all self-made millionaires followed that simple formula. Sure, it might take you twenty, thirty or even more years to achieve your goal but hey! if you are twenty-five now, think about retiring at forty-five or fifty years of age - job done!

I'm not telling you not to have dreams. Having a dream of a better life is the one thing that keeps a lot of us going but, if we only dream about it we will never see the reality. If I were to pick out the single most important thing that will start anyone on the road from dream to success, it's knowing what you want - because if you don't, you simply cannot set the goals you need to have in place to hit your final target

So keep dreaming - but also keep telling yourself that it really IS out there - all you have to do is commit, fully, to the work involved to make it yours. True, there are no guarantees in life but your life is totally what you make of it. To coin a phrase, you must be 'in it to win it' - so go and get a hold of life, plan your way and get on the best white-knuckle ride in the world!