As my wife and I seek to make a living in a very beautiful but expensive place (Kaua'i), we are constantly exploring different ideas on how to be successful.
That is, we are trying to answer: How do we make money such that we can stay and keep on living in this wonderful place?(!)
People here in Kaua'i do all kinds of things to make a living. Tourism is the number one industry, followed perhaps by the big agricultural industry (which has transformed from sugar cane to ranching to now GMO-testing or tourist ranches). Then there is construction, environmental monitoring/protecting, bodywork, small businesses serving various clientele, etc.
Overarching lesson: Each person has had to be quite creative to make a living here.
Given our experience, I read the NYT article, "What Drives Success?" There are lots of details and anecdotes, but the core reasons that drive success culturally are in this key paragraph:
That is, we are trying to answer: How do we make money such that we can stay and keep on living in this wonderful place?(!)
People here in Kaua'i do all kinds of things to make a living. Tourism is the number one industry, followed perhaps by the big agricultural industry (which has transformed from sugar cane to ranching to now GMO-testing or tourist ranches). Then there is construction, environmental monitoring/protecting, bodywork, small businesses serving various clientele, etc.
Overarching lesson: Each person has had to be quite creative to make a living here.
Given our experience, I read the NYT article, "What Drives Success?" There are lots of details and anecdotes, but the core reasons that drive success culturally are in this key paragraph:
It turns out that for all their diversity, the strikingly successful groups in America today share three traits that, together, propel success. The first is a superiority complex — a deep-seated belief in their exceptionality. The second appears to be the opposite — insecurity, a feeling that you or what you’ve done is not good enough. The third is impulse control.
To summarize, cultures who have these traits/beliefs tend to be more successful as a group. They believe they are:
The last point is no surprise for those familiar with The Marshmallow Test:
- They believe they are Exceptional
- They feel they are Insecure
- They have a high degree of Impulse Control
The last point is no surprise for those familiar with The Marshmallow Test:
So controlling one's impulses while having a sense of insecurity yet also a sense of exceptionality leads to success in groups, in general. This makes sense to me, and therefore the stories we tell to ourselves and to each other are crucial to our belief system and our future success.
Here's to telling positive, inspirational stories that also remind us of our insignificance/mortality, all the while building up our patience and perseverance!
Here's to telling positive, inspirational stories that also remind us of our insignificance/mortality, all the while building up our patience and perseverance!
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