What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

What's most important in succeeding in the USA? (1 Viewer)

Pick one - success if defined as whatever you want

  • Total voters
    140
T

Tiger Fan

Footballguy
Spinoff of how smart you are. Pick one of these three. Success is defined how you wish. I purposely left off "hard work" b/c I think even with that, these three still come into play as enablers.

I'm sure there are other good ones as well, but I'm only interested in these three. :popcorn:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
If I had to pick just one, intelligence is the answer. You might not be at the firm you want or the hospital you want to work at, but ultimately if you are smart, you'll have a job. There are exceptions, but generally who you know is enough to get your foot in the door. Rarely does that make you successful. Street smarts may allow you to be more well-rounded, but of the three, intelligence is the only one you can’t succeed without.

 
Cjw_55106 said:
If I had to pick just one, intelligence is the answer. You might not be at the firm you want or the hospital you want to work at, but ultimately if you are smart, you'll have a job. There are exceptions, but generally who you know is enough to get your foot in the door. Rarely does that make you successful. Street smarts may allow you to be more well-rounded, but of the three, intelligence is the only one you can’t succeed without.
Click to expand...
Our definitions of success may differ, but I know a helluva lot of people I wouldn't consider intelligent that are "successful"

 
Tiger Fan said:
Cjw_55106 said:
If I had to pick just one, intelligence is the answer. You might not be at the firm you want or the hospital you want to work at, but ultimately if you are smart, you'll have a job. There are exceptions, but generally who you know is enough to get your foot in the door. Rarely does that make you successful. Street smarts may allow you to be more well-rounded, but of the three, intelligence is the only one you can’t succeed without.
Click to expand...
Our definitions of success may differ, but I know a helluva lot of people I wouldn't consider intelligent that are "successful"
Click to expand...
Well yeah, I guess I worded it wrong. You can succeed with any of those things, but I think it's more likely you success with intelligence.
 
Cjw_55106 said:
Tiger Fan said:
Cjw_55106 said:
If I had to pick just one, intelligence is the answer. You might not be at the firm you want or the hospital you want to work at, but ultimately if you are smart, you'll have a job. There are exceptions, but generally who you know is enough to get your foot in the door. Rarely does that make you successful. Street smarts may allow you to be more well-rounded, but of the three, intelligence is the only one you can’t succeed without.
Click to expand...
Our definitions of success may differ, but I know a helluva lot of people I wouldn't consider intelligent that are "successful"
Click to expand...
Well yeah, I guess I worded it wrong. You can succeed with any of those things, but I think it's more likely you success with intelligence.
Click to expand...
gotcha

 
Tiger Fan said:
wdcrob said:
4) hard work
Click to expand...
I purposely left this off.

ETA: updated original post with reasoning
Click to expand...
I know guys that work harder than anybody but still struggle. Hard work without any kinds of smarts or sense is worthless. Also know guys who have been in the right place at the right time and have made it big without hard work.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
To me, determination is the key factor is succeding in these United States. You have to want it and you have to work at it. To that, I think "street smarts" is where determination falls into most. Sure, there are people who are successful who are as lazy/clueless as the day is long....but I think they are a real exception; a by product of the other two choices; intelligence or "who you know" rather than street smarts.

 
The real world: 1. Who you know, 2. Intelligence, 3. Street Smarts.

The way it should be: 1. Intelligence, 2. Street Smarts, 3. Who you know.

 
StrikeS2k said:
Parents/upbringing.
Click to expand...
I agree with this.

Some people are simply preselected to fail given that their genetics are total crap, their environment is worse, and their mentality is even worse than that.

Who you know is often a function of your family, your last name, your ethnicity, what college you were lucky enough to attend, etc.

90% of where I am in life is due to my parents - my genetics, having the money to get into the right schools, etc.

10% is me working just hard enough not to squander the opportunity... they threw the alley oop, i just dunked it home rather than squandering it.

 
Thunderlips said:
To me, determination is the key factor is succeding in these United States. You have to want it and you have to work at it. To that, I think "street smarts" is where determination falls into most. Sure, there are people who are successful who are as lazy/clueless as the day is long....but I think they are a real exception; a by product of the other two choices; intelligence or "who you know" rather than street smarts.
Click to expand...
This...determination and a little daring is the key to success. Hard work to me is busting concrete, laying carpet, plastering walls. I have worked many long tedious days that I felt determined to finish something..but I can`t say it was really "hard'

 
Dentist said:
StrikeS2k said:
Parents/upbringing.
Click to expand...
I agree with this.

Some people are simply preselected to fail given that their genetics are total crap, their environment is worse, and their mentality is even worse than that.

Who you know is often a function of your family, your last name, your ethnicity, what college you were lucky enough to attend, etc.

90% of where I am in life is due to my parents - my genetics, having the money to get into the right schools, etc.

10% is me working just hard enough not to squander the opportunity... they threw the alley oop, i just dunked it home rather than squandering it.
Click to expand...
:thumbup:

 
Dentist said:
StrikeS2k said:
Parents/upbringing.
Click to expand...
I agree with this.

Some people are simply preselected to fail given that their genetics are total crap, their environment is worse, and their mentality is even worse than that.

Who you know is often a function of your family, your last name, your ethnicity, what college you were lucky enough to attend, etc.

90% of where I am in life is due to my parents - my genetics, having the money to get into the right schools, etc.

10% is me working just hard enough not to squander the opportunity... they threw the alley oop, i just dunked it home rather than squandering it.
Click to expand...
The Freakanomics guys proved that genetics is by far the most important factor when predicting future success. Surprisinly, environment didnt have as much to do with it as you would think.

 
E-Z Glider said:
Dentist said:
StrikeS2k said:
Parents/upbringing.
Click to expand...
I agree with this.

Some people are simply preselected to fail given that their genetics are total crap, their environment is worse, and their mentality is even worse than that.

Who you know is often a function of your family, your last name, your ethnicity, what college you were lucky enough to attend, etc.

90% of where I am in life is due to my parents - my genetics, having the money to get into the right schools, etc.

10% is me working just hard enough not to squander the opportunity... they threw the alley oop, i just dunked it home rather than squandering it.
Click to expand...
The Freakanomics guys proved that genetics is by far the most important factor when predicting future success. Surprisinly, environment didnt have as much to do with it as you would think.
Click to expand...
I read the book and agreed.

I think it's amazing when someone is able to come out of a bad situation and actually make something of themselves... the kind of person that moves a few ladders up the economic scale and forwards their own life and the life of their offspring... that takes a lot of hard work, smarts, and ingenuity to do it legitimately (not talking about sports stars which are lottery type of situations).

Someone like me... if anything I'm a disappointment.. I'm not better off than my parents.... if anything I'm somewhere between equal and worse. My role in my own success in my opinion is relatively minimal.

I think when people say "hard work" gets you to the top I think that's for people who start low and are in some type of labor position or small business start up or corporate environment where their standing was directly related to the number of hours they put into it.

In the case of white collar professionals.... in many cases you either had the aptitude to pass the tests (the genetic smarts to make it) or you didn't. Sure I studied hard, if you call that hard work, but some people could study 24/7 and not pass the tests that I took.. .and I can't take credit for that... that's genetic intelligence.

I rarely if ever work hard on a day to day basis... in fact one of the reasons I chose this job was that i knew I could live a well above average lifestyle without being one of those dudes who has to put in 55-80 hours a week in some corporate type of environment.

Really.. at the end of the day hard work blows and I'm not interested.

Genetics.... your parents had far more of a role in your success that any of us would care to admit because it implies everything we do doesn't matter.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think that it is tough to say because the definition of success could vary a lot.

I would say that intelligence probably gives you the highest floor.

Probably street smarts (or some type of "non-book") intelligence gives you the highest upside.

Who you know probably gives you the best chance at supper upper elite tier.

 
who you know. you can be smart, hard working and ambitious but ultimately its the network of people you build up over time that will really allow you to be successful. Of course, that assumes you don't #### it all up by being an untrustworthy scumbag.

 
Could be considered who you know, but I'll go with family you're born into. If you have good parents that teach you good principles and place a high priority on education, you'll be in pretty good shape.

 
I guess defining succeeding would help. I'd consider be in the top 5% as succeeding, but that's only like 250k.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Long Ball Larry said:
I think that it is tough to say because the definition of success could vary a lot.
Click to expand...
This is true.

My father-in-law who came from a family of 9 (some of whom are dead or incarcerated) where the dad left when he was 8 and who has no college degree and who is disabled to the point where his days consist only of e-baying and watching TV considers himself a great success because 2 of his 3 children are college educated, all are self-sufficient, none are on government support, and he has 3 thriving grand-children.

on the other side of the coin

I've seen a lot of colleagues in the dental field who are successful financially and whom are nationally known for their speaking engagements and articles written, but who are such workaholics that their marriage decayed, their relationships with their children are mediocre at best, and haven't been on a vacation of any meaning in years.

Society though would tell you that the latter group is a success because those guys drive a mercedes and probably live in a nice well appointed home and dress well.

And sadly, I think if you asked thousands of people the definition of success, nice car, nice home, nice clothes, and cool gadgets would probably top the list.... Average basspole probably wouldn't even think Warren Buffet was a success if they saw him in public because he doesn't have the mansion, the cars, the posse, or even probably the iphone6mega

 
Self-discipline.

Just the ability to work on what's important and do that when you have the time to do it is the key to greatness in any field, IMO.

 
I'm a rung higher than anyone in my family climbed before me. Dad grew up on a farm and my mom is a child of teachers. Neither of them got a college degree and neither have great jobs, but they are living comfortable right in the middle of the middle class.

 
Honestly it's money and who you know. The ability for the rich to get richer in this country is astounding. They have what most want (capital) and the inside knowledge of what's happening next.

But if it's 'middle class kid rising to success and an upper middle class life' then intelligence.

 
GoFishTN said:
Luck.
Click to expand...
this is a bigger factor than a lot of people care to admit or realize, there is no question about it. But it's way lower on the ladder than genetics, intelligence, discipline, persistence, personality, etc.

 
NutterButter said:
Could be considered who you know, but I'll go with family you're born into. If you have good parents that teach you good principles and place a high priority on education, you'll be in pretty good shape.
Click to expand...
doesn't really matter as much, some of the most successful people in life had horrible parents and grew up in abject poverty

 
I would classify the key components that can lead to success as:

- Who you know

- Intelligence

- Education

- "Common sense"

- Work Ethic

- Creativity

- Charisma

I think you need at least 3 to be relatively successful with the more you add increasing the likelihood. Who you know and Charisma probably individually add a little bit of advantage over other singular elements.

 
It's just about indisputable from the various reports and studies that I have read over the years, that the single largest influence is the environment into which you are born. Wealth + education + connections will help a slightly below average person a thousand times over as compared to poor + lack of access to education + no connections who has intelligence and drive.

Those born into poverty are basically screwed. Our system gives tremendous false hope about upward mobility, but you are most likely to remain generally where you started. That's the reality.

 
mr roboto said:
The ability for the rich to get richer in this country is astounding.
Click to expand...
Man, the older I get the more and more I see this and realize that it's so true.

I don't have all that much comparatively, yet with every run up the financial ladder you climb, there are more and more people that want to give you more stuff for free.

Other than tax rates, everything else is better when you're wealthy.... better bank accounts, credit ratings, mortgage rates, better deals when you can afford to pay up front, you don't pay credit card interest or short term loans interest because you don't even need the loans... better car insurance rates, life insurance rates, etc.

I can only imagine the doors that open when you're a multimillionaire.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Ministry of Pain
Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese - "Burning Heart" in the Desert
4 5 6
Replies
287
Views
8K
JohnnyU
JohnnyU
T
Official Stephen King Publication Countdown - 2. 'Salem's Lot, 1. The Stand
5 6 7
Replies
323
Views
18K
The Longtime Lurker
The Longtime Lurker
Goldminer1
Quality vs. Price - Is the USA doing it correctly?
2 3
Replies
116
Views
4K
Terminalxylem
Terminalxylem

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top