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True wealth almost never comes about by working for a company - that's the biggest mistake people make. True wealth is almost always developed by entrepreneurship, whether that's manufacturing something or selling a service. A talk show host like Rush Limbaugh is still an entrepreneur, but he is in the business of himself. If you were throw out sports stars, actors, musicians, and heirs, the vast majority of your truly wealthy are going to be people who founded their own company and made it rich.
A friend of mine from high school will be turning 25 this year and owns five companies in the STEM fields. He made $600k for himself last year. He purchased a nice home, in cash, but is still driving the same Civic he's had for years. He made a $100,000 donation for STEM education to a local school system. In a few years, this guy will likely be truly wealthy, but at least so far, his lifestyle hasn't changed much. He does work 12-16 hours a day, 7 days a week. He isn't married and has no plans to be. He didn't come from wealth or privilege and was sleeping out of his car at 20.
He may have money, but he has absolutely no quality of life if he works 12-16 hours a day, 7 days a week, and was sleeping in his car for some time. Honestly, what is the point of having a lot of money if you can't enjoy it? He also may currently be happy that he's not married, but he may feel lonely later in life.
The biggest impediments to financial security for the average person are excessive debt, divorces, and in this economy, an unwillingness to relocate
I disagree. Proximity to family is something that you cannot put a price on. I feel that relocation should only be considered as an absolute last resort, if there is absolutely no way that you can get any job where you live.
Christians are taught its noble to be poor, IF you are giving the money TO the poor. They are supposed to be in the service of the Lord.
Where they misunderstand is when they fall into the trap of "its God's will" to be stuck in their circumstances, or blaming other people/God instead of having some self-examination, courage, will and patience to improve their lives. After all if you make more you can give more, right?
IMO Christians in general have a lot of misunderstanding about their own religion.
Christianity also places a large value on family life. That means not abandoning your family by relocating, and trying to do whatever it takes to avoid a job with ridiculous hours or a ridiculous commute.
Because the wealthy never work hard to earn their money?
Because working hard is a guaranteed path to wealth? Because the 99 percent who aren't wealthy,are in that position because they've never worked hard? That's not what you said though, is it, nor is your above question anything I ever said or even implied. Lets not put words in each others mouths.
Money and opportunity aren't in unlimited supply, nor are we as a species equal to each other in terms of aptitude,talents, ability, smarts, etc. Anyone can work hard if motivated to do so, which may or may not pay off financially but there's certainly more to the equation that simply 'working hard'.
But to avoid further misunderstanding, I am certaining not suggesting that some wealthy people ( the self-made ones, not those born into wealth) don't earn their money through hard work, nor have I suggested that those who go the extra mile are undeserving of enjoying the fruits of their labor.
My money addiction started at around ten years of age for me. I discovered that money could by what ever I wanted and all I had to do was work for it. I delivered newspapers, and cleaned cages at a local pet shop after school. I had a full time job at night cleaning a school when I was in high school. I worked two jobs for many years, but that wasn't making me rich. In my thirties I discovered how to invest. By our mid forties we had three properties bought and paid for. I finally splurged and bought the only new car I've ever owned. It's 12 years old now and I still drive it. Now that I'm in my mid 50's and financially independent I can retire when ever I want to. Will I? No. How do you go from being a workaholic to doing nothing? I was off with a broken ankle for 6 weeks and it put me in a horrible depression. If I don't work I don't get paid. Did we need the money to survive? No. I have a very strong work ethic that has been ingrained since childhood. I will die a workaholic. It's just the way I'm wired. Anyone can be a millionaire. You just have to want it bad enough and have some good common sense.
workaholics are great because they help society. laziness is awful. this along with a few other factors has helped build america into a great nation (no nation is perfect, we understand, but it is a great country). with that said though, i can't imagine having a father who was never around to raise me (like michael douglas' son who finally started selling meth and is now in prison). same for mother. i don't want to be raised by some stranger nanny. there's also the issue of child molestation or like that hispanic nanny who butchered two kids of an ABC exec. last year in new york city. the guy and his wife were so busy that they left someone else to raise their kids. their kids are now in the grave. at some point, wealth is useless because relationships are the most valuable thing in life. i don't remember the toys i played with more than the times my dad bought me cake, or when he would come to my recess in grade school and play baseball with me. i remember mom making me home food after school and teaching me multiplication. i don't remember her fancy clothes or stuff that wealth provided. they were not lazy. they were always there for me first, everything else second. there is a difference.
oh and by the way, both of my parents are dead. the wealth they would have amassed would mean nothing to me because i didn't earn it. they also couldn't take it with them. people forget that life can disappear in one second. those thousands of people who got up to go to work on 9/11 didn't return. they had nice vacation retirement homes set up. it's all over. just like that. that fat guy who can be seen running from the debris in one of the 9/11 pics finally learned that he should spend more time with family instead of at work. he said that in an interview.
i can imagine the huge number of divorces and family problems that extreme working causes. at some level, society has to find a work-life balance, maybe engage in work in extremes then cool off in short burst cycles. i also can't imagine these extremes being good for one's mental health.
Because working hard is a guaranteed path to wealth? Because the 99 percent who aren't wealthy,are in that position because they've never worked hard? That's not what you said though, is it, nor is your above question anything I ever said or even implied. Lets not put words in each others mouths.
Money and opportunity aren't in unlimited supply, nor are we as a species equal to each other in terms of aptitude,talents, ability, smarts, etc. Anyone can work hard if motivated to do so, which may or may not pay off financially but there's certainly more to the equation that simply 'working hard'.
But to avoid further misunderstanding, I am certaining not suggesting that some wealthy people ( the self-made ones, not those born into wealth) don't earn their money through hard work, nor have I suggested that those who go the extra mile are undeserving of enjoying the fruits of their labor.
strawberry pickers work hard. the wealthy work smart. i snicker at minimum wage clerks when they are so serious about their jobs. i tell them that you don't own the business, why are you so concerned about making someone else richer? they then shut up.
i NEVER work hard for another employer. i put on a show when the cat is watching and learn new skills and then bail. it's capitalism baby. "i got mine!"
Last edited by AtheroscleroticPlaque; 04-02-2013 at 11:16 AM..
strawberry pickers work hard. the wealthy work smart. i snicker at minimum wage clerks when they are so serious about their jobs. i tell them that you don't own the business, why are you so concerned about making someone else richer? they then shut up.
i NEVER work hard for another employer. i put on a show when the cat is watching and learn new skills and then bail. it's capitalism baby. "i got mine!"
Remember that you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.
Your negative karma will ultimately come back to you in some way. Probably one day you will have a business and someone will play you like you have played all the jobs you have had *or* you will find a job that you really, truly love and will lose it to someone who has a much better work ethic.
Stinks to be you.
20yrsinBranson
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