There Are Many Paths to Success, But These Famous People All Took ‘The Third Door’

The Lesson: This guy has interviewed dozens of game-changers, and it has made him realize something very important: there is not one clear path to success. If you follow your passion, work hard, and trust yourself, you will find a way.

Notable Excerpt: “There’s all these books and TED talks that say, ‘The one key to success,’ and I always sort of roll my eyes when I see those headlines. But what I’ve realized … whether it was Steve Wozniak or Lady Gaga, [is that] although their lives are completely different on the outside, they have a common melody to their stories, to their narratives. The melody, to me, was sort of like how you get into a nightclub. There’s always three ways in. There’s the first door, where 99% of people wait in line, hoping to get it. Then the line curves around the block, and then there’s the second door — the VIP entrance where the billionaires and the celebrities go through. School and society tell you those are the only two ways in. You either wait your turn or you’re born into it. And what I realize … is there’s always always the third door and it’s the entrance where you jump out of line, run down the alley, bang on the door a hundred times, crack open the window, and go through the kitchen. There’s always a way. And every single person I talked to — again, whether it’s how Bill Gates sold his first piece of software or how Maya Angelou got her first book deal — they all took the third door.”

The Guest: 25-year-old Alex Banayan has had dozens of remarkable one-on-one interviews with trailblazers such as Bill Gates, Maya Angelou, Steve Wozniak, Jane Goodall, Larry King, Jessica Alba, Pitbull, Tim Ferriss, Quincy Jones, and many more. These interviews all contributed to the creation of his book, “The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World’s Most Successful People Launched Their Careers.”

The Host: Julie Pilat works in music and tech in Los Angeles while also participating in community activities. After growing up in radio, she missed interviewing people and decided to create The Idea Fountain: Life Changing Conversations where every month, she interviews someone who has changed her life.

Podcast: The Idea Fountain: Life Changing Conversations is available on iTunes and at The Idea Fountain website.

(LISTEN to the inspiring talk below)