We just got back from a nice two-week vacation at Club Med in Cancun, Mexico. And just so you don't think it was all play, we were working most mornings putting the finishing touches on an exciting new program you'll be hearing about shortly. Plus, I was there as the official "magician-in-residence" so I guess you could definitely call it a "working vacation."

And still, I managed to find some great business and marketing ideas to share with you; many of them provided by the fantastic and diverse mix of people we met there, including one family in particular, an executive from a major Seattle company who was vacationing there with his wife and three children.

The oldest was a freshman at the undergraduate business program at the University of Pennsylvania's world-renowned Wharton School of Business. He was naturally excited about being there, and about one course in particular: "The Literature of Success" taught by Professor Richard Schell.

In this course, students focus throughout the semester on two main questions: what does it mean to be successful and how does one achieve it? To find the answers, students read classic books on success by authors including Benjamin Franklin (The Autobiography and Other Writings); Dale Carnegie (How to Win Friends and Influence People); Stephen R. Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People); and Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich).

At the end of the semester, students write a paper articulating their own personal philosophy of success. And here's the best part: this is a required course!

How many colleges ask incoming freshmen to define success at the start of their post-secondary education? For that matter, how many adults can claim to have a personal philosophy of success? (Hint: how many of the books from that course have you read?)

Now, more than ever, it's absolutely essential to invest your time in the relentless pursuit of tools, strategies, and philosophies that will help you become even more successful than you already are. This newsletter is a good starting point; how many other sources will you find this year?