If you want to uncover the secrets to wealth and power, go to any major bookstore and you will find enough "rags to riches without effort" publications to fill a shopping cart. You will discover books on selling, leadership, one-minute managing, applying the techniques of ancient warriors, calling on the mysticism of the Orient, self-help therapy, and even using God to get what you want.

If that is not enough, perhaps you will be interested in books and courses on real estate profits, stock market killings, little-effort fortunes in mail order businesses, how to work at home, and earning money with your computer.

And if you don't care to read about "getting rich", late night cable television will tempt you with success commercials. For thirty minutes to an hour you can witness countless stories of remarkable transformations from poverty to yachts and mansions; documented with large blowup copies of canceled checks made out to the newly rich. All you need do is call the number on your screen and order the secret guides to a new and fabulous life. And if not satisfied with your new wealth, you may return the "secrets" and get your money back.

If you need personal guidance, don't overlook the full-page ads in the success magazines, where the author, for a fee, is willing to share his or her secret of success. I don't wish to be cynical but I always wonder why a person so successful needs to sell the "secret?"

And if self-help materials are not enough, turn on late night television and discover how riches and romance are yours through astrology and psychic readings. This is success with no effort.

Do these books, tapes, and "secret" seminars work? Can an individual be taught a set of principles that will result in accomplishment? Can you teach success? Can someone, through study, bring about lasting significant personality change and undergo a transformation from an average person with limited drives and ambitions and skills to a high-powered entrepreneur? Perhaps in some cases, but most buyers of this material enjoy only a short burst of stimulation. The instant success is fleeting.

Just as you can't lose weight or develop muscle mass by reading about it, you can't, in my opinion, become rich by being a couch potato listening to the latest success cassette. Anyone can write a scenario of human behavior that will result in health, wealth and happiness - but then it is easy to create fiction.

As to be expected, there are enough gullible people so yearning for the secret of instant success they believe possible from reading or listening to a set of instructions, that these peddlers of the Midas touch keep producing new material earning them hefty profits. Unfortunately, there are poor souls who lose their money because they jump into a speculative or ill-conceived venture while under the influence of these hucksters promoting false hope and impossible prosperity. After all, the material is written and produced to make the author and not the reader rich.

Not all is hucksterism; there are valid training programs and materials that will help anyone in a new business venture. But it is a wise person that questions the validity of advice from sources that have no hands-on experience. Bad advice is cheap and bad advice can be disastrous to your finances.

And now, here are the real secrets to success; the Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center at the University of Iowa has found that the most successful entrepreneurs share the following traits:

1. Self-confidence: The ability to overcome fear of failure and inspire the confidence of customers ­investors- and associates.

2. Persistence: Maintaining a sense of optimism through difficult times.

3. Resilience: The inner strength to rebound from disappointments and defeat.

4. Vision: The ability to visualize goals.

5. Independence: Inner satisfaction with responsibility of personal actions.

6. Daring: The ability to measure risk and take action without fear.

However, if your strength lies in dreams, and wishful thinking, coupled with an unrealistic appraisal of your talents, I suggest you that put your new business plans on hold and save your money.

But, if you still insist on success advice- here is what I have to offer:

• Be cautious of "instant success" advice

• Be wary of all "secrets to wealth" offers. Remember it is the author who is getting rich.

• Remember the difference between writing and talking about success and true success.

• Successful entrepreneurs don't gamble, they take calculated risks, and they know the odds.

There is always the lottery.