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Success in life has nothing to do with intelligence, genetics, parents, the boogie man, etc.
The only common denominator I have seen in successful people, whether they are athletes or business owners (I know a lot of business owners, and most of them are not extraordinarily smart and a lot of them come from total hick backgrounds) or professionals or olympic athletes...is DISCIPLINE.
I am not talking about successful. That is a vague notion not easily qualified. I am talking about being Rich, which at least you can put a number to.
You can still make $150K a year and still live paycheck to paycheck.
If you have a $12 an hour worker vs a salaried worker making $150K a year... and the $12 an hour lives within his means and has 30% of his income as saveable & disposable... whereas the guy making $150K only has 5% of his income that's disposable because of his spending habits. Sure the AMOUNT of that 5% is more than the $12er's 30%.. but the $12er has a lot more room to breathe and not be overwhelmed by bills/debt.
So in this situation -- who is really the rich person?
To anyone that spends their money wrecklessly -- despite income -- is doomed for failure. If the $150K person lived WELL in their means (and clearly they can)... they would be rich. Imagine making $150K a year and living a $20k a year lifestyle? THAT'S where the person is "rich". But making $150K and living $145K lifestyle.....you just have a lot of flashy items.
It really depends on whatever someone's definition is.
Well lets make this easy then. How about we call someone making three million dollars a year rich and not in just one year, but every year.
Do you think anyone can achieve that if they just try hard enough?
Well lets make this easy then. How about we call someone making three million dollars a year rich and not in just one year, but every year.
Do you think anyone can achieve that if they just try hard enough?
Well I still think that's very broad. The whole point (at least, my take on it) of capitalism is the opportunity. I mean, someone put a robe on backwards and it sold millions (Snuggie reference, of course).
I think anyone can achieve it with determination and luck. It's just being the right person at the right time. But I also think it's realistic to believe that we all aren't destined for that.
Look at Antoine Dodson.. lol .. an interview that was auto-tuned and he became very popular and loaded. But then, is it fair to add "celebrities" or anything pop culture related? Surely he didn't work hard for his 'success', but in this case his success is just.. internet fame. He's probably broke now, but to someone who has a 3 million dollar a year career can lose that instantly too.
So to answer the question I have to say I really don't know. There are soo many factors that are involved.
Some would consider me rich...I don't, but I don't have to worry about finances nearly as much as a lot of people that I know. How did I get this way, mostly just luck. I have a few talents, but it did not have to work for them, I was just born with them...luck.
I know people that manager their money well and work three times harder than I do, but have little or no money to spare and are just barely making ends meet.
Someone will say that some people are stupid. Well if you are not very intelligent or you are intelligent is that not just luck as well.
The fact is that the belief that if you work hard and look to the future you too could become rich is simply a gross exaggeration. While it is true, and there is anecdotal evidence to show it, some will and do become rich, your odds are not that great. You do increase your odds by working hard and making good decisions, but not everyone can become rich no matter if they all work very hard and all make very good decisions. It is mathamatically impossible as their is a finite amount of wealth.
So at the end of the day the very wealthy should not be put on pedestals for simply being lucky and the middle class and working poor should not be looked down upon for being unlucky.
It is an interesting idea that is explored in the book Outliers. What I got from it was the author believed success had more to do with being at the right place at the right time. A lot of people seem to attribute success to being smart and working hard, but I do believe circumstances has a lot to do with it, as well. If Bill Gates was not born into a wealthy family and not been enrolled in an expensive private school with access to a computer, but rather grew up with an average or poor family and attended a public school with no computer, would he be the billionaire that he is today? There is no way to know, but I do think that the chances would be much lower.
Well I still think that's very broad. The whole point (at least, my take on it) of capitalism is the opportunity. I mean, someone put a robe on backwards and it sold millions (Snuggie reference, of course).
I think anyone can achieve it with determination and luck. It's just being the right person at the right time. But I also think it's realistic to believe that we all aren't destined for that.
Look at Antoine Dodson.. lol .. an interview that was auto-tuned and he became very popular and loaded. But then, is it fair to add "celebrities" or anything pop culture related? Surely he didn't work hard for his 'success', but in this case his success is just.. internet fame. He's probably broke now, but to someone who has a 3 million dollar a year career can lose that instantly too.
So to answer the question I have to say I really don't know. There are soo many factors that are involved.
Actually I think you answered my question and I think that is an honest answer, and I agree with you. I bolded the important lines.
There are so many factors involved and it does require some luck. The fact is that for most people simply working hard and being determined is not going to make you wealthy. It does require luck.
Some will say look at bill gates he got there because he was smart determined and worked hard. Well if Bill Gates had been born 10 years later it is quite possible that you would have never heard of him. It would have been all Steve Jobs or someone else. Not to mention the fact that although he is intelligent, that was also luck. His parents also were not out in the sticks. I believe his father was a lawyer and he had access to the tools that he needed...also luck.
One door opened can make a person rich, and one door closed can make one poor yet there is the factor of being ready when a opportunity comes to one , to be prepared for that opportunity to take advantage of that door opening .
None of us are really born equal.Some are born with many talents, others not too many. Yet if one can manage their money , they can live decently as long as luck is on their side. If one has a string of bad luck and nothing goes right for them , they can have years of struggle.
I have seen some people spend their money foolishly and wind up broke. And also those who have little , become quite comfortable with good decisions with their money.
I know of a couple who won 4 million in the lottery and today they are poor again. They spent it foolishly and went a a spending spree to wind up with nothing today.
It is an interesting idea that is explored in the book Outliers. What I got from it was the author believed success had more to do with being at the right place at the right time. A lot of people seem to attribute success to being smart and working hard, but I do believe circumstances has a lot to do with it, as well. If Bill Gates was not born into a wealthy family and not been enrolled in an expensive private school with access to a computer, but rather grew up with an average or poor family and attended a public school with no computer, would he be the billionaire that he is today? There is no way to know, but I do think that the chances would be much lower.
Yeah. He fell into the garage with resistors, capacitors, diodes, PCB's, etc and they just happen to come together by chance.
Last edited by CaseyB; 10-20-2011 at 08:01 AM..
Reason: language
Actually I think you answered my question and I think that is an honest answer, and I agree with you. I bolded the important lines.
There are so many factors involved and it does require some luck. The fact is that for most people simpling working hard and being determined is not going to make you wealthy. It does require luck.
Some will say look at bill gates he got there because he was smart determined and worked hard. Well if Bill Gates had been born 10 years later it is quite possible that you would have never heard of him. It would have been all Steve Jobs or someone else. Not to mention the fact that although he is intelligent, that was also luck. His parents also were not out in the sticks. I believe his father was a lawyer and he had access to the tools that he needed...also luck.
Agreed, but then you have "rich" and "not living paycheck to paycheck". With not the best wages, there are very little reasons to have credit cards. Or a car loan. Or even a mortgage. It's also possible that hard work will pay off greatly.
Someone can bus tables, then become a waiter. Then begin to have an interest in cooking.. so starts working in the kitchen. Learns more. Opens own restaurant.. it's successful.. so he opens another one.. so on and so forth. These things are very possible and this is where hard work did pay off.... vs someone selling a backwards robe, lol
If someone lives YEARS paycheck to paycheck.. has no savings... I try not to sound rude, but there's really no reason to go YEARS like that. That's a lifestyle they bring on themselves and aren't willing to sacrifice in order to get ahead. These are the same people who will win the lottery and be right back where they are in a year. These people, no matter how much money you give them, will never truly be rich.
Think of all of the celebs over the years that foreclose their mansions.. lol
It is an interesting idea that is explored in the book Outliers. What I got from it was the author believed success had more to do with being at the right place at the right time. A lot of people seem to attribute success to being smart and working hard, but I do believe circumstances has a lot to do with it, as well. If Bill Gates was not born into a wealthy family and not been enrolled in an expensive private school with access to a computer, but rather grew up with an average or poor family and attended a public school with no computer, would he be the billionaire that he is today? There is no way to know, but I do think that the chances would be much lower.
I had posted my post below before I read yours, but we seem to be on the same path. I have never read Outliers. I will have to take a look at it. The odds of what of duplicating what happened with Bill Gates over again have to be mega huge. It actually may never happen again.
The reason that this is in Politics and controversies is because every day people are fed the lie that if they work hard they could become as rich as bill gates. It is possible I guess, but the odds are so astronomical that it may as well be an impossibility.
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