"The lack of opportunity is ever the excuse of the weak, vacillating mind."Although some of Marden's terminology and dollar amounts in his examples are outdated, the principles he teaches are timeless. The people who win on shows like 'American Idol' did not just happen to see an ad about the tryouts and decide they would give it a shot. The winners had spent years in obscurity preparing themselves, and when the 'Hour of Opportunity' came they blew the crowd away with their performance. This book is what you need to read and understand if you ever want to succeed to a higher level than you find yourself in today. OSM quotes Disraeli who said, "The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes." He goes on to discuss not only taking opportunity, but making opportunities. Very educational and motivational. Tim Hendricks, Author/Entrepreneur