by Jack
Everybody who has ever held a job for a few years has an idea on what it takes to be employed. And if you were fortunate enough to receive a few promotions(and you were not related to the boss) you probably have a good idea what it takes to get ahead. And if you’re living a happy, healthy and productive life, society would say you’re a success. You’ve done a great job managing your life! Congratulations - You are making the most from the hand you were dealt.
Being an employable, promotable and contributing member of society makes you a valuable citizen and an expert on running your life, not mention being a great example for those who haven’t yet attained any level of success or happiness. They sure could your expert advice, care to help out? Please feel free to answer any or all of the following questions or write what you feel is important, we really want to hear how you did it!
1. At what point in your life did you realize, “Hey some day I have to go out in the cruel, cold world and earn a living, so I better prepare myself?” And what steps did you take?
2. How important was education as part of your plan and who influenced you in that direction the most?
3. How important was your ethics and who influenced those the most?
4. Did you have a long range plan to achieve success? What was your plan?
5. What would you say was the one overriding person, action or thing that made the biggest difference in your overall life and contributed most to your success?
6. What are your core values and how did you arrive at them?
7. What do you think makes a person happy and content?
1. I think I was about 10 or 11 and my Dad was always telling me how he did it, and how important hard work was. I was not thrilled about the prospect of hard labor!
2. At first education didn’t seem to matter that much, my personal presentation got me my first job in a grocery store at age 15. I relied more on my personal skills I my early years. Later I realized my talent could only take me so far. I needed more education, but I liked it too so that helped me get there.
3. I’ve always believed in honesty, especially when I reached an age of accountability. My conscience would not let me get too far off course and I think this was a combination of my parents integrity, what I saw in the movies with the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Zorro, etc. I always wanted to be the good guy like them.
4. My parents had the plan for my success and this was crippling. It was like I could do whatever and get by, but some day I would have their money so it didn’t make any difference what I did – as long as I got by. Worst thing they could have ever done to me, but it was with the best of intentions. Yet, I still had drive thank God! I still had a desire to prove myself worthy and do good things, but this big safety net was always there and it took away from my drive because there was never any sense of urgency or desperation. Those things are great motivators.
5. My Dad was probably my biggest motivator because he was critical of everything I did, so I wanted to show him I wasn’t as dumb and incompetent as he thought I was. It was a mixed blessing for sure!
6. My core are rooted in honesty and particularly in financial matters. I’ve never cheated anyone out of a dime, but I’ve been cheated and plenty of times too! It’s cost me a bundle to be so honest, but honesty is its own reward, right?
7. Personal success for me is not how much money or how many toys I have, although there was that time in my when it was. Now it’s more about being a decent person and living a good life. It’s about my family and friends. They matter more than mere things.
We’re all pretty self critical and I’m no exception. I’m terrible about self-criticism, but giving back something to society that has given me so much helps me justify my existence and makes me feel better inside.
Misc. comments: I tend to resent people who haven’t made an effort, who prefer to slide through life cheating and gaming the system. They have low moral standards and I literally hate them for that. I can’t respect any part of their life because I feel they are damaging the country that was built by good people who worked hard and played by the rules. This is why I don’t have a lot of empathy for lowlifes. I would have them cut off from financial aid in a heartbeat and it would be sink or swim time. Desperation and hunger can make even menial jobs some pretty great. Everybody needs a job – everybody needs to do something. But, too many people have no appreciation or even a basic understanding what was just said. They are totally clueless and more likely they probably resent people like me as much as I resent them.
Mike Rowe has set up a great scholarship foundation to help bring back the “work harder and smarter” ethics we were brought up with.
Every child is not destined for a career requiring a university education when their talents are needed and in high demand as barbers and auto mechanics.
Check out Rowe’s site. I think he’s to be commended for his efforts.
http://www.mikeroweworks.com/mikes-office/giving-back/mikeroweworks-foundation/
Great article and excellent comments from both Jack and Peggy, now that will make 3 of us thinking like this.
Setting aside the resentment aspect, most likely coming from watching and understanding the decline of personal effort put forth for what you get in life, anyone else care to stand up for those basic mores of honesty and working for what you have?
Mmmm…not a lot of folks rushing to support us, eh Harold?
My parents were excellent role models in terms of hard work, honesty and civic/religious/social contribution. I’ve come to appreciate them even more as I look around and see the many people in society today that have had no one to influence or guide them in a positive direction. The one fault they had, and who could blame them, is that they didn’t want me to have it as tough as they did. Their expectations of me could have been higher.
When I was a kid most people had parents like mine, hard working people who expected their kids to have manners and do well in school. The few who were not as fortunate could at least rely on neighbors, teachers, and organizational leaders to fill the gap. They learned through the positive adult examples around them and in television programs and movies. And of course most people went to church.
The biggest difference today is that the lines have been blurred and the focus has changed. Right and wrong are opinion and preference driven. The self is the higher authority. We have high expectations about entitlement, what we deserve in life, and low expectations about achievement, what we must do to earn or acquire things.
There are signs of a new rebellion in the young toward work, ethics and values. Many of them are disgusted by what they have witnessed and have begun to put high expectations on themselves. We should do whatever we can to encourage them.
Peggy…great source.
Mike Rowe is popular with my son and his friends from high school. I’m on FaceBook with them and Rowe, and too am encouraged by their comment’s and sharing’s.
As a child there were times of plenty and times when there wasn’t money for food. My parents separated when I was in 5th grade and I got my first jobs babysitting, cleaning my uncle’s place and doing his laundry and ironing. I worked jobs during high school and through my first year of college before getting married.
With the exception of a couple of years I worked nights and grave-yard shift so I could be home with my boys during the day and still help with the mortgage and provide the family with health care.
Not to do everything I could to provide was never an option. Expecting others to take care of me and my family was also never even thought of.
A couple of positive indicators I see happening is reflected in the really good movies “The Son of God,” “God is Not Dead”, “Captain America…” and coming soon “Heaven is for Real.” Is our entertainment reflecting a change because of cultural demands by individuals who with their pocketbooks are now driving the direction we as a society will take? I hope this trend is an indicator of a positive change.
“Noah” on the other hand dropped 61% this weekend, I believe because people are tired of being lied to and being used to further political and social agendas. We want to be entertained, but we want our values and the truth reflected. If not, we will withhold our support and support what does.
Thank you for sharing that Peggy! You are, as Sean Hannity would say, a great American. I think we’re closing in on the solutions to help our unemployable citizens…
I would tell them what my father told me. Get your butt in gear because nobody should ride for free. Then he would tell me that its rotten to live like a bum and society will hate you. I was taught there is no such thing as a job not worth doing. Work is good for the soul. Looking back I think he was right. I made my first million before I was 30.
Excellent advice from you and your Dad, Jim!
Congrats on those millions! The thing I find compelling isn’t that you made that first million but that you had the opportunity, the choice, because you were given the tools to strive for financial independence and success.
Making a million or more can happen with the right attitude and a little hard work and does quite often…even more so when our economy is thriving. The main thing to take away from your experience is that anyone will find a way to become a contributing member of society, rather than a needy burden that others must carry, just by adopting that advice. There are plenty of people who prefer to live a simple life and are content to remain in the middle class range. America is the land of opportunity whatever your vision and dreams…at least it is when we let America be America.
Feel free to chime in anytime, Jim. Our readers could learn from your success.
How many of the homeless in this country are Iraq vets with mental problems?
I talked to a few lately and bought them a warm meal. People can not be grouped.
Too bad America keeps sending our jobs to other countries.
I do try to buy everything possible that is made in USA. I avoid as much foreign product as possible.
We need to bring our jobs back. There is another crash on the horizon and the next wave of unemployed is on the horizon.
ATTENTION CINDY:
“How many of the homeless in this country are Iraq vets with mental problems?” Cindy
Oh geez, really Cindy, you really don’t want to go there, how sad. Okay, the Department of Veterans Affairs released this number only recently, they said about 13,000 of the nation’s homeless, between ages 18 and 30 had some prior military service. Of that number almost 90% had never seen combat or ever left the USA and I base this on military stats that say less than 10% ever see combat. Most of this homeless group had self-inflicted drug and alcohol problems unrelated to their service and not dissimilar to what you would find in regular society. All of the homeless veterans were eligible to stay in Veteran’s Shelters, that are located in all major cities across the US. They are also entitled to free medical. If they had a problem related to their service, they are entitled to a pension. In addition, most cities like Chico have one or more permanent shelters that offer free hot meals, clean beds, showers, and free clothing and shoes to all homeless. Chico has three. Now consider there are over 317,000,000 (million) people in the US. That 13,000 number represents .4% of the total population and of that number only about .07% were combat vets from Iraq or about 910 people total. The chances of you running into two of them here in Chico is about equal to winning the lottery. Let me say it again, that would be around 910 chances out of a population of 317 million. And they all get free food, shelter, clothing and medical, they didn’t need your charity.
“I talked to a few (homeless Iraq vets) lately and bought them a warm meal. People can not be grouped.” Cindy
Cindy, as noted above chances are you didn’t buy any Iraq vet a warm meal. Get a clue kiddo, more likely you bought somebody something alright, but it wasn’t food.
The local homeless (mostly new arrivals) in Chico can have good quality hot meals served three times a day at shelters located across town. All they have to do is show up and behave and they get lots of free stuff. Of course they can’t be drunk or on high drugs causing a problem.
THE GOOD PEOPLE OF CHICO don’t like it when new people like you show up and give spare change direct to the homeless. There are posters out all over town warning people not to do this. Why? Because it’s caused Chico to be a magnet for the travelers, those bumming around the country, looking for a free ride. This huge number of bums coming here has stressed our resources and taken away from our truly needy local people. And this stress includes the police! It’s cost the downtown businesses a lot of money. The bums sleep, piss and crap in their doorways, they break things, leave tons of trash everywhere and they scare away customers.
We don’t want them to be hanging out here expecting some softheaded person to give them money for booz or drugs!
THE GOOD PEOPLE OF CHICO have been around long enough and heard enough from the Homeless Task Force professionals who say people like you who give them stuff with no strings are enablers and you make their work harder!
THE GOOD PEOPLE OF CHICO say people like you are not helping us or the homeless. What you are really doing is keeping those homeless with serious issues on the street, out of the homeless shelters where they can be counseled, supervised and encouraged to be a productive member of society.
PEOPLE LIKE YOU are preventing those with serious issues from dealing effectively with their issues at places where such help is available, if they seek it out. When you give direct to the homeless, you allow them to stay on the street and at risk, get it? Your intentions were good, but in case you haven’t you heard…. the road to Hell is paved with good intentions!
You want to really do something to help bums and homeless then get a clue – don’t be a codependent for them! Go straight to the homeless shelters and be a volunteer, maybe you will learn something! Because right now it’s obvious you don’t know squat about the homeless problem in Chico and how to help them. You are just being a bleeding heart chump.
Before we can address any of the problems you site Cindy we need to become better educated as to the fundamental and underlying problems that create such situations.
I must agree with person here who said Americans are getting fat and lazy. I think that is fair view, The students at CSUC I know only think about getting drunk and sex. I think about that too (ha) but I can’t afford to be like that. If I get kicked out of CSUC I am in big trouble back home because I would come back in shame. I am afraid to fail! Americans don’t know what failure means and I think that makes you vulnerable, crazy-foolish, sometimes stupid and this wastes opportunity to do good. Too much of everything here and you do not try because you think you will always have it. This is a big generalization, but isn’t that what we are doing here? We speak in most general terms, ok? In some way it is good for me that many Americans don’t try because it makes my chances for good paying job here better. If I stay! No offense meant,but you asked me and I tell you how I see it ok? Al
Al thanks for your comments. Hope you will come back and offer your insights. You refer to Americans, so I take it you are not an American? What country are you from, if you don’t mind telling us?
Cindy asks: How many of the homeless in this country are Iraq vets with mental problems?
I ask how many of those who served and protected our freedoms have assimilated back into society and are productive, the post isn’t about those who suffer PTS, its about being productive and living a meaningful life.
As Jack clearly points out there are trained professionals to help those in need of such, instead of feeding them like stray cats, help them by getting them into those centers, the results will last longer then one free meal. Once they start seeking help and you understand their needs, then take them to lunch and help reinforce what their learning.
Sometimes help needs to come in the form of tough love.
Harold makes a good point this story isn’t about homeless Iraq vets. But, Harold also underscores another point about being armed and able to defend yourself. Liberals are trying disarm the law abiding and leave them at the mercy of crazy gunmen. This has gone into the military too. Had we had just a few armed military police they could have stopped the rampage (2 rampages) at Ft. Hood. If we had armed sentries in Beirut, hundreds of Marines would not have died. The sentries had weapons, but they were not allowed to carry ammo! What the freak is wrong with people, you give soldiers a gun, train him to use it, send him into harms way and you won’t give him ammo? This country is nuts. We behave so ridiculous sometimes it makes me think our liberals are deliberately trying to destroy us.
I was exiting a store yesterday and I was carrying a large expensive item in my arms. I noticed a homeless guy with prison tats watching me as I crossed the parking lot. He was about my size, but 30 years younger. He had something on his mind, not sure what, as he maneuvered my direction. Maybe he just wanted to ask directions or bum some spare change? I have no idea. But, not taking any chances I opened my trunk and placed my item inside, but as I did I bent forward and I knew my shirt would ride up…it exposed my concealed handgun and then I straightened up and looked back at the approaching transient. He was already in reverse course. He never got closer than 50 feet. This isn’t much of a story, but then I wasn’t much of a victim.
I enjoy reading post scripts but I’m not much for posting. This was a good article only problem is I don’t think the people that need to read it ever will.
Reminds me of the Reagan story when he leaned out a window and stopped a man from robbing a woman of her purse! Sometimes just the threat of unexpected severe consequence is enough to prevent a crime.
Imagine if the entire nation took the stance that we will not put up with lawlessness. We used to be that kind of country and it worked. People respected and trusted the law, private property, and the dire consequences of stupid criminal actions. Back in the late sixties we started making excuses and letting people off the hook. Understanding the reasons behind criminal’s choosing to be criminals might be helpful as a means of prevention or rehab but it serves much too often as a signal to would be criminals that the people just don’t care. Might as well put targets on our backs.
Good move, Jack.
A recent experiment in the UK by filmmakers documents people just watch as a woman is verbally and physically attacked.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/04/08/woman-violently-mugged-on-busy-london-street-as-40-bystanders-simply-watched-but-its-not-what-you-think/
This would have never happened when I was young. No man or woman would have allowed it.
Really good article.
10 Reasons You Have to Quit Your Job in 2014:
By James Altucher
“This was going to end badly.
My boss screamed at me in front of my colleagues. I had done something wrong of course. I had sent a product to the client without debugging it thoroughly. It was my fault. But I don’t like being yelled at.
And fortunately I was sitting on a job offer that I decided to take that moment. So the next day I said the magic words, “I quit.”
And then a few years after that, I quit again, and never went back to work in the corporate world.
And now it’s too late. Now the course of history has finally written its next chapter. There’s no more bullshit. I’m going to tell you why you have to quit your job. Why you need to get the ideas moving. Why you need to build a foundation for your life or soon you will have no roof.
1) The middle class is dead.”
Continued.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-altucher/quit-your-job_b_5111751.html
Peggy this guys resentment turns me off. Big corps don’t hire the vast middle class…never have never will. Big corps operate in another realm. They don’t owe their workers guarantees of happiness, security, satisfaction, or a well rounded life. A big corporation isn’t looking for middle class workers…they are looking for ambitious hungry climbers.
This guy never belonged in the corporate world, he just didn’t realize it. Why does he think that there are so many small businesses in America? Hello! They start and run businesses because they want a more personally challenging and gratifying work experience, a chance to make a good living, and a chance to dance to their own tune, a chance to live a well rounded life with less pressure and stress.
He should visit a few small businesses before he counts them as safe havens. He’d find out that some of the things he describes as a corporate problem are really an economic problem caused by big government leadership. Small business, the big job creators, have been impacted by the policies of Barack Obama too…and it’s making them just as cranky as those corporate bosses!
The middle class isn’t dead…it stands tall in the hall waiting for the government to unloose the reigns and remove the barricades.
Government debt has grown by leaps and bounds under a president who once said a much smaller debt threshold was un-American and irresponsible.
The billions of wasted tax dollars spent on broken crony capitalist ventures, the over 2 trillion in QE, the chaos inducing ACA, the draconian Dodd Frank, investment blunting taxes, high energy costs, and unreasonable regulation are killing the middle class.
High energy and food costs, taxes that discourage growth, a radical agenda and an intimidation posture has kept growth very weak at a lousy 2% and thus opportunity for the middle class worker at a bare bones minimum.
This article is a excuse for the failed policies of the Obama administration and the Democrat Party. This article is another attempt to get the American people angry and blaming corporate America so they won’t focus on the failure of progressive economic policy. It’s like we’re standing in the dust of yesterday:
Sound familiar?
In times of low growth and oppressive government the only people that can continue to make money are the people with big piles of cash…the wealthy and big corporations. (Not to mention the government)
In times like this it is the middle class that gets squeezed. The poor continue to benefit from tax supported programs…the wealthy are simply slowed down a bit…but the middle class is shafted.
Getting “ideas moving” will help those few who come up with a fantastic idea that has a chance to become a big corporation but it will not reinvigorate or grow the broad group of small businesses that hire the middle class.
The only thing that will invigorate the middle class is a change in federal policy…which requires a change in leadership.
Progressive big government stifles opportunity and that hurts the middle class.
I don’t know this guy’s past. I heard about him this morning for the first time on Glenn Beck’s radio show.
Beck was saying the days are gone when someone could get the financial and professional recognition from those who have financial control over them and if people are sticking with a company expecting it they’re wasting their time.
People with good innovative ideas are going out on their own and with the new ways to finance their dreams are making the leap to being successful.
Breaking away is not for everyone. Those who need the security of working for someone else doesn’t have the drive to be their own boss and that’s fine, lots of people don’t. But for those that do he was saying go, make your own success and be happy instead of miserable.
With rising prices and more people un and under employed today than when Bush left the middle class is shrinking by the hundreds if not thousands every week. Earning the same pay year after year and being able to by less and less with it can only move more from the middle class closer to the poverty level.
Progressive will raise taxes to make up for the lost revenues from the high unemployment, which as you know will only accelerate the decline even faster.
The old adage of finding a need and filling it could not be a more opportune time than today for those adventurous types. As always there’s no guarantee of success, but given the choice of loving what you do or being miserable can be a huge motivator.
We’ve both owned our own businesses and know the rewards and the headaches. I also worked at the college so I could provide the health care coverage for my family. So, I lived in both worlds at the same time with a foot firmly planted in each.