I dont know what it takes!!!

I dont know what it takes to get something that you badly need....Some say its hard work , yet there are others who say it is sheer luck and then there is the third breed that says, a combination of both....well, whatever it is, i seems to be eluding me at the moment...I have almost become paranoid, a cynic.....Some say, optimism and hope are the basis of life...but there must be a limit till which you can be optimistic....what beyond that......and I certainly seem to be approaching that very fast......