Recently, I listened to a video of Warren Buffet. One of the things he attributed to his billionaire status was LUCK. Yes, luck.

However, one needs more the luck. As Oprah Winfrey once said, "The harder I work the luckier I get."

So, now we have luck and hard work are two keys to success, but hard work will only get you so far. Flipping burgers day in day out is hard work. 

To be successful in fields like farming, logging trucking,  etc. in addition to hard work and luck you need lots of skills and sound decision making. 

For example, in farming, logging, trucking, etc. a lot of stuff will break, get stuck, etc. There is only so much money to hire other people to do stuff. The more you can do the better. A lot of the skills combined with sound decision making/instincts will go a far way.

So, to be successful one needs luck, hard work, and lots of skills along with sound decision-making skills.  

Here is an example of luck. Years ago, a colleague bought 600 acres of secondary growth(50-60 years) forest. He hired two specialists to calculate the value of the timber on the land. Separately, they both told him the value of the timber and land was way more than the asking price. He bought the land and 3 years after clear cut 150 acres and sold off a few 50 acres plots to hunters and was able to pay off the mortgage. 

From your experience, what does it take to be successful?