Difference between the successful and the unsuccessful

 Difference between the successful and the unsuccessful

We are all equal in God’s eyes and we all have equal rights given by Him, not by State. That said, this is where equality ends - whether between the rich and poor, or the educated and the ignorant, or the advantaged and the disadvantaged. From this point forward, it is up to the individual to protect his rights and protect his ability to achieve success. In doing so, he protects the rights of all. In the last 100 years and more so recently, we have failed in this basic mission and allowed others to re-define our rights and control our ability to live free.

If you must pay someone, anyone, just to live, you are no longer free. Just like your exclusive and irrefutable right to property, real or tangible. This is a fundamental right of all free men. Here’s an example to illustrate my point:

If you don’t pay your property taxes, see how long you own it. I give you three years maximum before it is sold on the courthouse steps. So. Do you really own it, or are you a tenant for the State? Is that freedom? I doubt it. So, the term “Success” must be defined to frame this discussion.

Success to me is “the realization of a complete and satisfactory life.” You can be a success at any age, so the measure must be more than monetary. Success is not measured in money, even though people equate money to success. It is not measured in “how much stuff you have” - for stuff meets no meaningful human need - like to be loved, appreciated, respected, liked, or admired. Material things (Stuff) is an illusion of success, used as a visible tool to show the difference between classes. To me, success is a feeling of satisfaction in life, more than any tangible measure. Success is also the realization of things other people cannot do who must work to live - such as spend time with your children, work on projects your passionate about, enjoy travel, support missions you care about and help the efforts of others become successful. Is this not the reason people work 40 years of their life just to retire and have these abilities? Would it not be nice to have those abilities a lot sooner in life? I believe anyone can.

So, when we say “successful” here, I am going to limit my focus to the empirical monetary vein…as I believe this is the focus of most people's question, not the spiritual or ethereal stuff.

In a free society, men are free, economically, politically and spiritually. They are free to use these freedoms to improve their lot in life, pray, or vote to name a few. Their government supports these freedoms and protects the rights granted by God. The degree which their government takes away from the fruits of their labor is the limit of their freedom - meaning the more they keep, the more choices they have, the less they keep, the less choices they have. Less choices mean a lower standard of living. More government, less choice, less freedom. It’s that simple.

The difference between the successful and the not successful (measured in secular world terms) is that “the successful” people (when self-made) are willing to do the things that the successful are not. Sounds trite, but it's true. The most outstanding of these differences are:

1. They are willing to delay gratification.

2. They live well under their means.

3. They make money work for them, (i.e. generate more money), instead of spending it for luxury goods and services.

4. They are generous and truly help others when possible.

5. They create long and short-range plans, they budget and work their plan.

6. They look for opportunities (a competitive advantage or new ways of doing things) and then seize them.

7. They are not afraid to fail and try again.

8. They network with their peers and surround themselves with friends and colleagues who are more successful than they are.

9. They are diligent and don’t give up in the face of opposition or tragedy.

10. They live - not for the love of money, but for the love of the process of making money.

These are the things which make the successful, successful, and the unsuccessful, unsuccessful using world measurement terms.

Parents are just as capable of creating an entrepreneur, as they are in wrecking the hopes of one very young in life. Very early on in a child's life they must be taught the concept of delayed gratification as satisfying a child's immediate wants (not needs) results in the child which does not know HOW to be successful. They must be encouraged to try again. They must be allowed to drive towards their passions, whatever they might be, as long as they hurt no living thing. They must be supported later in life towards those passions, but not so much that the victory will have no meaning. No one gets to be a success without the help of others. No one. And no one becomes a terminal welfare recipient, unless they choose to remain one. Success is hard work, and some choose not to work hard and let someone else (you and I) pay for their life’s needs. Bad decisions do not need to be rewarded. Nor should they exist without consequence. If we feed ourselves, we are successful. If we provide for our basic needs, we are successful. If we achieve enough to help others, we are also successful.

The successful and the unsuccessful will always be polarized by the differences in their attitudes to the above list. If they shared the same attitudes and beliefs, then they would be “like life travelers” on the same journey. They would undoubtedly find ways to cooperate and help each other achieve their goals, mutual and individual.

Jim Rohr