Success is defined as the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted. As college students and new graduates, you often wonder about the keys to success. What are they? Where can they be found, and how easy can you find them? According to a mix of individuals who are tops in their respective fields, the keys to success are right at your fingertips.

Halle Berry (right) is a lesson in sweet, karmic irony. The former Cuyahoga Community college student, a former Miss Teen USA and first-runner up in the Miss USA pageant left school and modeling to pursue an acting career. Having faced cynics who often cited her beauty as reason for her increasing body of work, Berry drew both ire and overwhelming praise in March 2002 after winning the Best Actress Oscar for a role that a few filmmakers felt she was too pretty to portray -the tormented Leticia Musgrove in Lions Gate Films' "Monster's Ball."

In a recent interview, the 36-year-old Cleveland native said she channeled the Musgrove media backlash into a sound learning experience. "I accept criticism. I learn from criticism. I see creative criticism as a key to artistic progress. I welcome different points of view, especially when expressed by those with extensive experience and hard-earned wisdom." It's no secret that Hollywood is a difficult business to be in, but Berry says that more important things align her path. Mother Judith Berry, husband, singer Eric Benet, stepchild India and devoted friends, including educator Yvonne Sims, inspire her to succeed in the arts. They keep her grounded. "Art is important to me, but so is commerce. I grew up working class and my need to succeed -- and to use my success to create roles for other people of color --is deeply ingrained. I want to make a difference. I realize that I have a full plate, and I know that my passion for work could easily spin out of control. As much as I appreciate my career, my family is my anchor."

America's favorite dad, Bill Cosby (right), often sprinkles his side-splitting humor with things that make you think. The father of four girls: Erika, Erinn, Ensa and Evin, and one boy: the late Ennis Cosby, the 65-year-old entertainer has made it his business to stress the importance of education. A holder of various degrees, including a doctorate in education from the University of Amherst, Cosby and wife Camille Hanks Cosby have given over $30 million to leading HBCUs, including Spelman, Fisk and Howard. Cosby feels that these feats, due in large part from his successful entertainment career, would not have been possible without his biggest role model. "Anna Pearl Cosby brought up three boys with a husband in the Navy. I'm not going to talk long about my mother, but if I ever wanted a role model, it wasn't necessarily Paul Robeson. It wasn't necessarily (singer) Marian Anderson. It was Anna Pearl Cosby."

"The whole time this woman worked 16 hours a day as a domestic. First of all, she went to Girls' High School, which was a public high school in Philadelphia for girls with high IQs. But she had to drop out to go scrub steps, etc."

Bill Cosby vowed that if he made enough money, Anna Pearl Cosby would not have to work again. He held true to his vow, and holds her in high regard when reflecting on advice he gives to college students: "You have got to leave yourself open for all the possibilities that have nothing to do with making enough money to stay alive. In a dog-eat-dog world, there is certainly room for a turtle like you, creeping along and occasionally retracting your head. You do not 
have to be led astray by all the people who are doing useful and productive things. Remember that Thoreau once said, ‘If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.'"

World Champion Los Angeles Lakers' point guard Derek Fisher, who studied accounting and speech communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has a strong hold on the value of education. His father worked with the Job Corps for many years while his mother worked in the banking industry. They both instilled a strong sense of community in young Derek, parlaying into his sense of teamwork. "I think the things that I do that make our team better don't necessarily reflect in the stats," Fisher says. "Just providing an extra boost of energy that at times we've lacked. So I don't look at my numbers statistically, rather more so how I carry myself around the guys and the little things I do to make a difference."

The 28-year-old Fisher, whose career in basketball has afforded him millionaire status, advises children to put education first. "Even if you pursue a career in athletics, focus on your education. You need something to fall back on when your athletic career is over. Don't focus on the money; it will come when it is supposed to."

Attorney Willie Gary (left), born in rural Georgia, landed a football scholarship to North Carolina's Shaw University, earned a bachelor's in business administration, and has since donated $10 million to his alma mater. Included on Forbes' list of the top 50 U.S. attorneys, Gary is a strong proponent of education, offering these words to aspiring collegians: "Follow your dreams, but people who can get an education, get it. Go to college, take that time and do it. It is a good experience. It's beyond just ‘getting an education.' You make friends, contacts and the experience is invaluable and you prepare yourself for the future in the process. I would say that if you've got a choice, go to college, there is no doubt about it."

In October 2002, he gave $100,000 to Florida Atlantic University's football program. Of the FAU donation, Gary noted the importance of sports in maintaining a sound collegiate life. "I believe that all sports should be used as part of the educational process of any young boy or girl because it is through athletics that they will learn about teamwork and discipline. They develop the desire and determination to succeed and when they fail, they learn how to bounce back from defeat, which is most important because in life you're going to have some bumps and curves."

Gary attributes his success to "My faith in God. My ability to refuse to be denied. My parents who instilled in us the value of hard work. You know, you are never going to get around hard work. There are no free rides and it ain't about luck. I tell people every day, the harder I work the luckier I get. It's about making it happen. You've got to control your destiny."

Growing up, award-winning entertainer Janet Jackson was exposed to the industry's hectic demands, but maintains she keeps things in perspective. She says that her friends help in that process. "They're not afraid to tell me when they feel I'm out of line. They're not afraid to tell me if they feel I've hurt them. They don't fear that they'll be cut out of my circle if they disagree with me. I want to know the truth. I don't care how painful that's going to be, because that's the only way I'm going to grow. Allow me to cry if that's what's to come. That's healthy. Not to sound selfish or self-centered, but it's truly about you. If you want to stay grounded, then you can have that."

Her motivations to cut through adversity are her parents. "I always think of my mother, whom I adore, and the attitude she expressed: ‘Anything to make ends meet.' When we lived in Gary, Ind., when she already had given birth to nine children, she'd walk the winter streets to work at Sears. And this is a woman who, because of polio, walks with pain. This was when my father worked in the steel plant...Work is in my blood. My response to adversity is always the same: ‘Work harder.'"

Daymond John, one fourth of the world-renown FUBU clothing enterprise, says the team entered the clothing market by accident. "We entered it out of frustration about not being able to find what we wanted in the stores, and as a means to make extra money." The company, which also covers homeware, fragrances and an entertainment division, has become a multi-million dollar empire in 10 years.

John says team FUBU values "honesty and respect of others on the team. A lot of teams people don't necessarily respect the opinions of their other teammates, and that is something we do here, is to make everybody's vote count. I value commitment. You have to put in an extreme amount of time, it doesn't always pay off. You have to be committed to a project." He adds the keys to success are: "Timing, research to make sure you have a good product, getting everything legally put together, as far as your contract, your backing and your financing. Your structure should be in place. Dedication."

John offers this stringent career advice: "Learn whatever business you're entering from the ground up. If that means interning for five years somewhere, then you intern for five years. You need to learn everything, from the bottom position to the CEO position, so that when you're either trying to increase your business or you're in jeopardy of losing your business, you can go through each category and learn your weaknesses and your strengths, and you won't have to depend solely on other people."

Grammy-winning rapper/Oscar-nominated actor Will Smith (left) isn't resting on his laurels. Raised by working class parents in Philadelphia, Smith catapulted to fame in the early 1980s with hits such as "Rock The House," "A Touch of Jazz," and "Parents Just Don't Understand." After proving to be a tough act to follow on the rap scene, Smith turned to acting, starring in the long running sitcom, "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," loosely based on Smith's teenage years. His big screen debut in the sleeper hit "Six Degrees of Separation" made way for roles in the blockbusters "Bad Boys," "Independence Day," "Enemy of the State," "Men in Black" and the biopic "Ali," the latter of which garnered the 33-year-old a Best Actor Oscar nomination in March 2002.

The media darling, who is the father of three kids, two of whom with wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, offers the following advice on success: "Going through my twenties made it clear to me that nothing is really as important as the value of your relationships. You can't make a decision based on money. You can't make a decision based on how much fun you think you're going to have. It's strictly about the value of the relationships you build. Then all of that other stuff is going to come naturally."

He also shared the best way to handle the uncertainties of life: "Having come through the music industry first was so helpful. There's no more cutthroat business than the music industry. When I had a hit album, everything at the record company was great and wonderful. When one flopped, they wouldn't even take my phone calls."

"From that, you learn to depend on yourself. You learn not to allow your successes to go to your head and not to allow your failures to go to your heart. I was prepared for all that by the time I made it into television and, now, into films."

Entertainer Vanessa Williams has been on a whirlwind since becoming Miss America in the early 1980s. With those years behind her, she continues to have a strong presence in movies, the stage and on the charts. The mother of five and wife of Los Angeles Lakers' forward Rick Fox, the former Syracuse University musical theatre major says her role models are her parents, Helen and Milton Williams. One lesson she learned from her parents and strives to impress upon her kids is, "You are going to have to be better than everybody else just to be considered equal."

Being a wife and mother also forced the 39-year-old Williams to examine and modify her reactions to tough times. "My ability to deal with stress and deal with problems has a lot to do with being responsible for my own actions. When you are upset more than you should be some days, those are the days you are losing out of your own life. So deal with it, move on and release it because, otherwise, you'll manifest it physically and mentally. Who wants that?"

Veteran newsman Sam Donaldson calls multimedia mogul Oprah Winfrey " (left) a force of nature who transformed the talk show into a national event." Winfrey, who doesn't consider herself a businesswoman, is in big business when it comes to inspiring others. When Winfrey was a student at Tennessee State University, she became a news anchor. At age 32, she hosted her own show, AM Chicago, known today as the Oprah Winfrey show. On the show, she explores topics as diverse as dream weddings, working from home and the aftermath of abuse. Her down-to-earth wit, coupled with a strong compassion for her viewers, is reflected in any discussion about success. In a recent commencement address, she gave graduates a few keys to being a well-rounded person.

"Life is a journey. I've learned to become more fully who you are and that's what life does-teach you to be who you are. It took me a while to get that lesson, that it really is just about everyday experiences, teaching you, moment in, moment out, who you really are."

"When people show you who they are, believe them, the first time. Not the 29th time!"

"Turn your words into wisdom. You will be wounded many times in your life. You'll make mistakes. Some people will call them failures but I have learned that failure is really God's way of saying, ‘Excuse me, you're moving in the wrong direction.'"

"Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe. When I was a little girl in Mississippi growing up on the farm, only Buckwheat as a role model, I watched my grandmother boil clothes in a big, iron pot through the screen door, because we didn't have a washing machine and made everything we had. I watched her and realized somehow inside myself, in the spirit of myself, that although this was segregated Mississippi and I was ‘colored' and female, that my life could be bigger, greater than what I saw. I remember being four or five years old, I certainly couldn't articulate it, but it was a feeling and a feeling that I allowed myself to follow."

Eldrick (Tiger) Woods (right) is a young golfer with the magic touch. The 27-year-old California native and former Stanford University economics major, has won almost every prestigious professional tournament known to man, sometimes more than once, and his career is undoubtedly on the upswing. With the help of the Tiger Woods Foundation, he is empowering children to live their best selves, encouraging them to aspire to positions of strength. He offers steadfast advice on achieving harmony, even when things are slightly off-kilter: "You know, each and every defeat that you have is different. Sometimes you go out there and you make mistakes and you lose. Other times you go out there and don't make one mistake and the person flat out beats you. Every time, it's a different emotion, you know. I could have done this a little better here and there. This person outplayed me. But I analyze what could I have done better."

"But you've got to have balance, too. You put yourself there with the chance to win, what did you do right. You can't always knock yourself, what did you do wrong. You've got to keep the balance. Over a period of time I believe that's the best way to do it. Then you're not always knocking yourself down. You're giving yourself some sort of congratulatory image of what's done. And it gives you great motivation. You can't win everything. I don't know, I guess I've always heard this most in the press, you can always learn more by losing. I say yes and no to that. There are times that I've won that I've learned an awful lot."

"If you look on demands as a burden and you let it weigh you down and get to you, it will."

As we've recently ushered in a new year, reflect on the gems of wisdom from those featured in this article. Though everyone's journey isn't equal, everyone is equally entitled to enjoy the fruits of success. Whether it's a slight attitude adjustment, a major overhaul in your course load, or going back to school, success possesses many degrees. Whatever degree of success you seek, it's never too late to recognize that you determine what you get.

Jevaillier Jefferson is a contributing writer associated with Lee Bailey's EUR/Electronic Urban Report in Los Angeles.