Every normal person wants success in life. Many women want success as wives, mothers, friends, teachers, or providers. Men often want success as fathers, husbands, friends, athletes, coaches, or providers. Financial success helps us feel better and perform better in every one of these areas. It's easier to be a good mother, father, spouse, friend, or teacher when we're not constantly worrying about how or where we can get the money for our family's next meal.

Countless ways to succeed exist today in a gazillion different businesses or professions. However, certain principles of success never change.

Let me ask you a question. If you wanted to become a top singer, actor, golfer, or outstanding cook, where would you turn for help? Would you ask some stay-at-home neighbor? A brother or sister who has no interest in any of these professions? Of course not. You'd seek out a person with proven ability in your chosen field—a person with proven success.

Most of us like to think of ourselves as being unique. One-of-a-kind. And we are. We enjoy doing things our own way. But--at least at the beginning--couldn't you increase your chances for success by modeling someone who's already successful in that area? Would it make sense to learn what your role model has done then and try to duplicate it? The apprentice system has worked extremely well for centuries. Master craftsmen in many fields—woodworkers, painters, builders, doctors, and more were taught this way.

Early in my medical career, I was fortunate enough to train at outstanding hospitals in Philadelphia and New York. I sought out institutions where the absolute best surgeons worked--in my chosen specialties. Why? Because I had been taught early in life that to be outstanding at any job required investing the necessary time and energy to learn that job inside and out. And who better to learn from than a person who's already outstanding? I recall one famous surgeon advising his residents: “For your first 100 operations, perform this procedure exactly as I do it. After that, you'll know what changes you can safely make, should you ever need to.” I have learned to apply this same principle to my businesses.

Why do you suppose THE APPRENTICE has been so successful on TV? Because aspiring businessmen and businesswomen struggle to watch Donald Trump up real close. He's their Icon of business success. They want to learn everything he does and how and why he does it. To approach his level of success, they intend to copy his methods as closely as possible--even though most of the applicants appear plenty capable already. They intend to be as successful in their businesses as Trump is in his.

Hmmm. What does all this suggest to you? Is there a success principle lurking someplace in here? If you want exactly what someone else has, perhaps you need to do exactly what that person does. Make sense?