When some people see others who have achieved more, earned more, been more successful, than they have, they immediately assume that those others have been given, or have taken advantages which they don’t have.
For example, rich parents, sent to the top schools, belong to the right clubs, know the right people.
However, aren’t there many people who didn’t have that kind of help, people who put themselves through schools & Uni by working hard in all sorts of jobs in order to be able to “get there”?
Aren’t there People who have never taken much financial assistance, from anyone, but have managed to succeed, and prosper, out there?
People who created a business, employed other people, or just did a job which got them there?
When I visit self made people’s houses to tutor their children, I’m not jealous. They were prepared to take the risk, put their reputations on the line and do the work with its occasional sleepless nights worrying.
It’s something most of us are simply not prepared to do.
I suppose I would have to define where “there” is and at which point you can define yourself as being successful – and maybe the term is a subjective one.
In my case, I left school with absolutely nothing as a product of an abusive parent. I was lucky enough and by pure chance, to end up in a nationalised industry as an apprentice. After some years at the bottom, I put myself through college and eventually university and rose up with various promotions to where I ended up. The business deteriorated in recent years and when I hit early retirement age I decided to leave. I left with a large bank balance, a paid up house, new car and a few holidays a year. In that regard, For that, I feel I have achieved some level of success in life. But I don’t exactly drive a Ferrari, wear Rolex watches or have people in my employ, as I don’t really want those things nor would I spend the money on them.
If someone has achieved some higher level of success, good luck to them. I will probably think more of them if they achieved their success by hard work and dedication, as opposed to those who have had success handed to them by rich parents and expensive education. However, wouldn’t “celebrate” anyone regardless, as I tend to focus on myself and my immediate circle and not anyone outside of it.
@Dextrous63 , l found l always slept well whatever the problem was!
I was to tired to do otherwise?
In fact l often woke up in the morning with the solution to whatever problem
I may have had !
I feel fortunate in that l actually had four different lives, in all of which l
ended up being better off ? That is untill l ventured into this fifth life
being retired in the UK !!
My first life was learning a trade ,
My second Life was practising that trade and getting married and moving
out of London !
My third life was leaving England, starting a ’ successful ’ business in SA !
My fourth life was selling everything and moving to a fairly remote farm
in the forest on the southern coast of South Africa for 17 yrs !
My fifth life is still in progress, allthough l am very poor now ,
I feel happy to have had all the experiences l have had, as compared to people
who have stayed put !!
BTW l think l may be starting anuvver life soon as l have the urge to write
a book ??
Ooooer, just seen your post Ted !!
Aye, but at least they tried eh? And along the way they may well have managed to grab hold of a few tokens to hand out to those (employees perhaps) who tried to help.
I got A-levels, Highers, then university. I took a job as an electrician between the terms. No financial assistance in my case. My initial employment after qualifying was as a commissioning engineer and world was my oyster.
Well, quite often the assumption that they have had advantages is correct?
It would be as wrong to assume they’ve done it all by their own efforts as to assume they had some advantages?
I don’t know why you’d go round comparing yourself anyway, everyone’s definition of success and what they want out of life is different
I don’t necessarily think people who started a company or employed people should be celebrated. It depends if they exploited their employees or treated them well, and if the company was an ethical one, paid it’s taxes etc
The thing is, we don’t have equality of opportunity in this country, so if you start out at the bottom, you’re more likely to stay there
Of course, some do manage to succeed by their own hard work, full credit to them. Some get lucky, and good luck to them, I don’t begrudge anybody what they’ve got. It’s just that I want the same chances for everybody
And more get kept in their place by the system, poor education, poor health and lack of expectation
I got lucky in who was my dad, because he worked like a horse to shove us out of poverty and into education
@Maree , Now you must define POVERTY !!
For instance you can have poverty of resources but be rich in ambition
or rich in empathy etc ??
A rich in wealth person is often lacking in in some other area ??
Had dad not done what he did we would have been living in both absolute poverty, which was his own childhood experience, and relative poverty compared to others at the time
