Many there are who would be successful, if success just did not require that they become productive. Interestingly, for most, success is only partly attributable to what they do. Much of their success comes from what they get other people to do.

People become confused when they try to juxtapose “Success” with “Equality”. Pedagogues, philosophers, and hucksters fill the public discourse with multimedia information about #success, #personalgrowth, #happiness, #wealth.

One source of confusion comes from defining #success as “having more. . .” or “doing more. . .” Unfortunately, in this mode, people focus on what they do not have and they become envious of what others have. Actually this becomes a source of “generational conflict”. Many elderly people have been heard to say something like, “The problem with the current generation is that these kids want to start (economically) at the point where we worked for decades to be.”  The “kids” look at people who have been married for decades, and think that what their parent or grandparent have, is what they should have as they start their adult life.  In today’s world, any demographic or ethnic group can be divided into the “have’s” and “have not’s”, thanks to the massive impact of technology in public discourse.

Such divisions can be used to promote a “victim mentality”. This victim mentality, perhaps, should be credited with the creation of “community organizers” and the rash of “causes” which become a source of #money. Participation in such causes is increased by the “lottery mentality” that has been widely promoted by the government. The idea is that someone can get much more without making any greater contribution. What people fail to realize is that “government” has only the money which it takes from some other group. The “National Debt” to cover over-spending is, in fact, money taken from the next generations. About the lottery, the government – in collusion with the media—makes a big deal about “lottery winners”. It would present a very different picture to show how much money actually goes into the “government coffers”.

No person can add one minute to their day, but there is the magic of “OP”. For example, when people without money want wealth, they create a strategy to use “OPM” – that is, OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY. However, if the money is “borrowed”, it must be paid back. Until it is paid back, the debtor is a slave to the person or institution which made the loan. The alternatives are to convince other people to donate, invest, or buy. Thus some politicians, preachers, and door-to-door salesmen have found a way to acquire wealth. At this point, it would be cynical to not introduce the concept of “ethical success” #ethicalsuccess”. The wrong-headed pursuit of #success and the proliferation of the #victimmentality, have left far too many people with a jaundiced view of humanity.

Since humans are a gregarious species, the potential for an individual to leverage other people’s money (OPM), other people’s time (OPT),and other people’s strength (OPS) into a greater productivity. In this case, #success becomes something far more than material possessions; success becomes the fulfillment of “belonging” – a basic human need in Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. As such, success at the level builds a foundation from which a person can move to higher needs – ultimately self-actualization.  The magic of one’s success, therefore, comes from what they get Other People to do.