What do I have to do to earn and deserve the key relationships that are going to get me where I want to go?

Success comes from doing what you enjoy. If you don't enjoy it, how can it be called success?

Don't get stampeded by what people around you value. The task is to figure out what YOU value - and value highly enough to throw yourself into with unqualified passion.

You cannot and should not try to please everyone. Make sure that the right people like you, and it will be expected that others will not. That's how the world works.

What do I have to do to earn and deserve the key relationships that are going to get me where I want to go?

What is important is what inspires persistence and determination- in other words what you care about.

Truly visionary and successful companies have discovered that there is no conflict between the pursuit of profit and having a pursuit beyond profit.