Saturday, January 31, 2009

Making the most of what you've got





Make the most of what you've got. Remember, people have started with much less than you and are currently enjoying luxury and excitement far beyond what you can imagine. Let's do a little list. This is a list about macro-constraints -- huge, looming constraints that people are forced to operate in.

1. People much stupider than you have had much more success than you.
2. People uglier than you have dated/married hotter mates than you think they deserve.
3. People with worse ideas than you have become rich off their ideas, but you haven't.


Why do things work out this way? Why do people get ahead of you when they've been given far less, when you've judged them to have less than you? I'll list some reasons.

1. They know they're stupid, so they realize they have to work harder to get what they want
2. They feel as though they have nothing to lose, so they risk it all.
3. They're hungry for success after seeing so many people pass them by on the socio-economic ladder that they bust their butt to get where they can be comfortable.
4. They make the most of what they've got.

I know that I am one of the people that feel as though things should be "easy" for me. I stopped being hungry for success. I coasted along, going nowhere. My life hasn't turned out so wonderfully so far. I'm poor, socially disconnected, single, not unhappy but not joyful, have no hot car, don't have a house, and have a low-paying job.

The importance is to jump to the mindset of the person we've listed before. Become one of those people who started with nothing and then achieved everything. Make use of what you know -- your ability to learn, synthesize information, copy and switch things around a little. Do what you've gotta do to get what you want. Be one of the stupid people who gets smart and makes a million dollars. Be resolute and dedicated to your success. Think of yourself as one of the "little guys" whose gotta fight to be a top dog.

Make the most of what you've got. Don't expect someone will come around and tell you what to do or do it for you. They won't -- and that's not fun anyway.