Money, power, success. These three words look small standing alone but slyly build the entire foundation of our world. In American culture, wealthy and powerful individuals have been idolized for many years. Particularly in society, the person who is most worthy of praise is the one who achieves success independently earning the title of “self-made”.
The term “rags to riches” is commonly used to reference people who completely turned their lives around. In America today, we thrive watching the lives of rags turn to riches; people climbing out of the dirty streets into the million dollar mansions in Beverly Hills. The successful entrepreneurs make overcoming challenges look effortless leaving every viewer in awe. Through smiles, luxury, and pride, how could we not admire the story of a self-made man? More importantly, how could we not want our own lives to be self-made success stories too? I wanted to research how to realistically live out this lifestyle and experience the same events at these “self-made” prodigies.
To many Americans, money and power is what equals success but it is important to remind ourselves what success really means. The dictionary defines it as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose”. Although direct, this definition lacks what classifies accomplishments or achievements of a purpose. The question remains: What should we be aiming for in life? Power? Money? Well, it seems like the story of a self-made individual includes both.
During my research on this topic, there was a single word that kept appearing: “Nothing”. It seems the first step in becoming self-made is coming from nothing. The internet portrays self-made billionaires and successors as prodigies who came from poor or homeless backgrounds. It claims that many had little to no resources in their early stages of life; leaving them with the title of “made” when arriving at the top of the social pyramid.
A prime example of this story can be found in the life of famous American rapper Dave East. He once said “My journey is self-made because I came from nothing. It’s the best feeling now, because I don’t really feel like I owe anybody.”
The majority of people assume that the self-made story parallels East’s life. We picture the biggest entrepreneurs in the industry beginning with nothing. A common misconception is that many have start-ups in their garage working endless days and nights on their prototype. Although an intriguing idea, this is rarely the case for successful business men.
For example, take Bill Gates – one of the most praised individuals in the field. You may know him as one of the youngest self-made billionaires in America or you may know him as the founder of Microsoft. However, I bet you didn’t know him as a Harvard student studying mathematics. Unlike East, this self-made man came from wealth. Motivating him was his father who was a lawyer and his mother who served on multiple boards. Similar to Gates stands Mark Zuckerberg (Co-founder of FaceBook) and Matt Damon (American actor and film producer). Both were Harvard drop-outs who had privileged upbringings and ultimately became extremely successful.
Although all of the previously mentioned people earned the title of self-made, their stories are extremely different. Gates, Zuckerberg, and Damon were privileged unlike East or Malcolm X, who grew up in foster homes. The gaps between lifestyles bring up the controversy of the term self-made especially in the field of business. Forbes is one of the most renowned business magazines in modern society. Its definition of a self-made businessman is “Someone who built a company and/or established a fortune on his or her own, rather than inheriting some or all of it.”
Along with the information I learned from Forbes, I was curious to know what Julie Johnson, who teaches personal finance and has taught Introduction Business classes, would say about becoming a self-made success in business. She preferred to discuss a different concept: the self-starter.
“There is a term in the business world called being a ‘self-starter,’” Johnson said. “Essentially it means someone that is able to work independently, often without constant managing or guidance.” I found that being a selfmade individual can often be referred to as a self-starter. In a school environment, the self-starter would not wait for a teacher to tell them to complete an assignment, instead they would finish their work and go beyond stepping into their curiosity.
“Working in an autonomous way requires a certain level of enthusiasm, motivation, determination, and confidence,” Johnson said. “Someone who wants to be self-made and is striving for that it is essential to be resilient in the face of consistent hard work and the dedication that can go along with it.”
As it turns out, most teachers praise “self-starters” but doubt the concept of “self-made” success stories. David Hoffner, executive director of faith formation and former teacher of economics and philosophy is a prominent example.
At the end of the day, the concept of a self-made man is a myth that cannot be turned into a reality. Despite the fact that it is possible to become successful, “The idea that you are self-apart from your connectedness to others is a modern illusion.” Hoffner said.
People often take credit for the things they achieve but fail to mention the real reason the achievement was possible. You cannot grow a garden without the seeds other companies manufacture. You cannot make a friend without learning social skills. You cannot learn a new language without teaching. You cannot be fully self-made because humans are reliant on others. We crave connections and are not meant to walk down the path of life alone. Just as Hoffner mentioned, “There is no branch without the vine, no sheep without the shepherd.” Humans will always utilize each other.
Coming back to the Bill Gates scenario, it is likely that he is not worthy of our respect from how successful he has become, but for what he’s given away. The Gates Foundation has donated $100 billion to charitable causes.
In relation to money, the word ‘made’ implies that you’re done at some point. But the truth is there is no reaching the very top because people are always in the process of growing and changing. It is possible to achieve a goal that you set for yourself but it is not possible to be made because there is no definitive ending point.
In the words of Frederick Douglass, “There are in the world no such men as self-made men. That term implies an individual independence of the past and present which can never exist”.