In a recent survey, over 80% of 18-to-25-year-olds said that getting rich was their first or second most important life goal, while 51% said the same about becoming famous.

Of course, being a celebrity can be problematic. We have all seen stories about stars turning to drink or drugs as they struggle to cope with the emotional stress of life in the public eye. However, this doesn't seem to discourage anyone. The main problem for many seems to be how to actually become rich and famous—especially if you have no real talent! Given this, here's our six-point guide on how to go about it:

1. Date someone who's already famous

Obviously, finding a famous partner is easier said than done. However, anyone who manages to catch the eye of a top footballer or movie star can expect to find themselves on the front page of gossip magazines before too long. This might then be enough to get a TV or advertising company interested, and you could end up becoming a star yourself.

2. Go on a reality TV show

The kind of out-of-tune singing that was once reserved for the privacy of a karaoke room has now become prime-time Saturday night TV. Shows such as The X Factor and Pop Idol have brought instant fame and fortune to hundreds around the world. Take Norwegian Kurt Nilsen, for example.

His versions of well-known songs were so popular that he was able to give up his job as a plumber! He then went on to win World Idol and became a huge star in his native country.

If you can sing, you could follow in Kurt's footsteps. If this option isn't available to you, why not just try to appear on any of the reality TV shows which require no talent?

3. Become an Internet sensation

The Internet has given many their fifteen minutes of fame.

You get a message from a friend containing a link to an online video, a blog, or a new site. You have a look, forward the link, and before long, things start getting out of control and a million people have seen it!

And, of course, the more views a video gets, the more money can be made from it. A few years ago, Howard Davies-Carr uploaded a short film of his two sons sitting side by side in a chair. Entitled Charlie Bit My Finger, nothing much happens in it—apart from a finger being bitten.

However, the clip is now the fourth most-watched video ever on YouTube, and the family has earned hundreds of thousands of pounds from advertising.

4. Inherit a fortune

If you want to come into a lot of money when one of your loved ones dies, it helps if you have incredibly rich parents—like Paris Hilton’s. Alternatively, you just need to be lucky when choosing your friends, like Chinese restaurant owners Kim Sing and Bee Lian Man were. They befriended an elderly widow, Golda Bechal, who repaid their kindness by leaving the couple £10 million in her will when she died.

5. Perform an extraordinary act of bravery

One good way of getting yourself in the papers is to save someone's life or catch a wanted criminal. Kuldeep Singh, for instance, became a national hero in India when he removed a bomb from a bus he was driving in Delhi. Mr. Singh, who was injured when the bomb later exploded, was widely praised for his courage.

6. Prove that age is no barrier

Age is no barrier to becoming famous either, as plenty of old-age pensioners have proved. The Zimmers are a recent example: a group of around 40 British pensioners put together by a documentary filmmaker who was interested in the experiences of the elderly. The band's first singer was 90 when he joined, and the oldest member was 101! They had a hit with a cover version of The Who's My Generation and went on to appear on TV and travel to America.