One of the paradoxes of wealth is that you have to have a bit of fight in you, even though there’s nothing to fight. Being nice can be a trap if you’re always pushing things away…
You’ve got to get a bit of c#&t in ya’s.
That was my junior footy coach. It was half time, and that was pretty much his half time speech.
It was only the U/16s, local league, but you could tell he secretly dreamed of coaching Australia to World Cup victory. And he let a bemused bunch of teenage boys help him live out that fantasy.
You’re too soft. They’re running all over ya’s. You’ve got to get a bit of c#&t in ya’s.
“You mean, play dirty?” said Tim, who wouldn’t hurt a fly let alone step on someone’s toes with his spikes.
Nah! You’ve got to want it. And you’ve got to want it more than the other mob.
I don’t think any of us knew what he was talking about, and so we ate our oranges and went out and played pretty much exactly the same game in the second half as we played in the first, and lost.
But his message stuck with me. I don’t know why. Just one of those seeds that gets stuck in your mind, like a prickle in a sock, and I reckon it took me 10 years to figure out what he was trying to say.
And now it’s one of my key pieces of wealth advice.
“You’ve got to have a bit of c#&t in you.”
The natural world is a competitive place. I don’t know why. I don’t know what God was thinking. It’s just the way it is.
Pine trees drop needles that poison the ground for other plants. Palm trees break through the canopy and gobble all the sunlight. Stop moving for a second and mould starts growing on you.
Likewise, cats eat the birds, birds eat the insects, insects eat each other. A wasp injects her eggs into caterpillars. When the larvae hatch they eat the caterpillar from the inside out. It’s horrifying.
The peaceful harmony of nature is a Disney fantasy. It’s a gruesome place out there. Those fairy wrens look cute but if you’re a little insect they’re a killing machine.
That’s the natural world. But the human world is a nice place. Or at least we try to make it that way.
We have a whole bunch of social structures – from the soft (manners, social norms) to the hard (police, military) to stop it descending into an insect-eat-insect orgy.
And generally, you’ve got to admit, we’re doing a pretty good job of it. Not perfect, by any means, but we’re getting by. Horrible things happen, regularly, but we manage to keep it from descending into a free for all.
And I’ve got to say that when you’re a team player in team humanity, it feels pretty good. It’s good to be caring towards others. To be generous, understanding…
… nice.
Virtues are virtues in their own right.
And at the centre of this is the human (and I guess other advanced animals) ability to put another’s needs ahead of our own. To be able to recognise that that old lady probably needs this bus seat more than I do, and the world will be a better place if I give it to her.
And so we’re schooled from a young age to be considerate – to be able to think about others’ needs. And we are taught to that it’s virtuous and honourable to put others’ needs ahead of our own.
But there’s a trap here.
And that’s when we take this deferential mindset and apply it to situations where it isn’t appropriate.
A soccer match is one of them. As the couch was trying to tell us, in his own misguided way, we had become too ‘nice’ out there. We weren’t putting up enough fight for the ball. We weren’t claiming it as ours.
The investment sphere is another one, but for a different reason. The financial world is an abundant, not a scarce space. On a bus, there’s a limited number of bus seats. If I take one, an old lady misses out.
But in finance, there are an endless number of ways to make money. And if I become rich, that doesn’t in any way mean that anyone else won’t be able to.
I just don’t believe it works that way.
And so the ones I see having the hardest time with wealth practices are the ones who took the “nice” lessons deepest to heart. The selfless, generous and beautiful ones (yes it’s a cruel irony).
They bring the ‘putting-others-first’ mindset to their investments, but since it’s an abundant space and there are no ‘others’, all they do is end up pushing opportunity and wealth away – saying no thanks, after you – for no good reason.
So you’ve got to get a bit of c#&t in you. Claim what you want. If you want to retire at 40, claim it! Why shouldn’t you have it? You working less doesn’t mean others are working more.
In some ways, you’ve got to be your own champion. You’ve got to be the one that stands up for yourself. You have to be willing to fight for yourself.
It’s an odd one. There’s no scarcity so there’s no actual fighting to be done, but you’ve sill got to take that stance. Welcome it in, call it down. Turn no thanks into yes please.
And you’ll still be as beautiful and as generous and as nice as you always were.
Trust me.
Prue jones says
Great piece john
Anka says
Deeply meaningful and educational. Thank you, Jon.
Todd says
Hi John.
Do you actively trade covered calls?
Matt Brown says
I don’t normally comment on these forums but this article just resonated so strongly with me, awesome, blunt, and so true! I’d love to catch up for a chat next time i’m in Melbourne
stuart says
A great piece clarifying the importance of mindsets around wealth and abundance in order to be the same loving generous human beings we all strive to be. Love it. Kind regards, Stuart.
lilmis says
Are you kidding me. I generally agree with these blogs but this is totally out of line. Look at Tony Abbott completely raping the pristine Australian environment for the sake of profit. Most people dont even know because they are to absorbed in shit that doesnt even matter. You are encouraging people to make heartless financial decisions. Kill people, I dont care, take from another to feed you and your family, thats ok also. But dont encourage people to make choices that mean destruction for the planet and the thing we rely and depend on the most for our own survival. I think you are a highly influential person Jon and most people who read this is because they are clueless and need direction. You also need to be accountable for what you say or your no better than Tony Abbott. Please encouage people to make ethical investments. To know the longterm effect of something they have put their numbers on paper into. Surely you can write a post with some ideas for investments that result in people making some better choice, not just full speed ahead greed at any cost. Im drawing a line, sorry.
Miriam Knowles says
I Think Id Draw the line at Killing people & taking from another – higher than ethics & environmental issues
lilmis says
Im talking about when everyones dodgy investments have pushed up the cost of living to an unachievable level for people. When buddy up the road from you is throwing out food because it doesnt look right on their plate and everyone else is starving in this over populated world sponsored by monsanto.
Anlu says
I’m sure there’s a blog for environmentalists/welfare recipients that you should be on rather than here. As your fellow leftist said to your kind once, “get a job”.
lilmis says
So all environmentalists are welfare recipients? Nice example of the clueless reader I talked about.
Anlu says
No, but you completely lost me when in your initial rant you went off in so many tangents, and mentioned so many social issues that I couldn’t figure out what you were on about. And when you threw in the line about Tony Abbott destroying the pristine environment for the sake of profit. I mean, what are you on about? You’ve taken a topic that was intended to encourage people to fight for their own dreams, and fight damn hard, and you end up talking about that? Leftists are so tiresome with their victim mentality. I am tired of being told how bad I am for what was done to the Aborigines, or to boat people, or the environment, and there is a whole class of people out there who are professional moralists and love to blame others for every perceive wrong that was ever done. Mostly while accepting welfare that is financed by the people they are blaming. Just get over it, move on and do what you want to do without force feeding your opinions on everyone else on the grounds of being morally superior.
lilmis says
The bird eats the insect in nature, yes, but it doesn’t oblevirate everything in its path on the way like man does.
Leo says
Hi lilmis,
Obviously you’re a Labour supporter. er!…. so you lost the last election, Make the most of it.
Many people hated Rudd and Gillard. That’s why they’re gone.
But, Why bring politics into it, It’s nothing to do with poli-tricks. No one is saying be a crook! Just get some gumption… fire in the belly, go for it attitude, about your financial wellbeing.
I grew up pooooorrrr. My father drank too much, drank almost all he earned from a well paid job.
I actually went to school in half a uniform always getting crap from other kids and teachers alike.
I think what you missed in the message is, don’t let the multitude of opportunities slip by because of other peoples attitude or behaviour. (or your own). I learned one major thing in life that changed me dramatically.
“Even the nice little piggies in the pig pen, have to push in”
Go get what you ‘want’ for yourself and your family.
When your old and have little money, where will it come from. Will you thrive or merely survive?.
There’s more money out there than you can shake a stick at. If not they will print some more, just to make sure. Don’t be angry, be assertive
regards, Leo
Leo says
None of us ever gets anywhere in life if we don’t compete. Everything on this planet is in competition with something else. It doesn’t mean that we trample on each other.
“Have you ever wondered how many little ants may have inadvertently been innocently trampled on by a herd of eleph’ants passing by”. I’m sure they didn’t even see their little cousins. Do elephants avoid little ants if they see them?
Mother Nature has it’s own system,The Earth is what it is, and it got that way long before any of us were born. The systems and creatures have been here for ages, and they keep evolving. The planet supports several billions of people and more keep coming. How can we expect it to continue to support an ever growing multitude, rich or poor. None of us are here for a long time, (good time or not). Every creature has to find it’s own way to survive or thrive, some get better through evolution and some fade away. Eventually everything will all fade away when the planet dies.
My experience is that those people who complain about the lack of money for whatever reason, eg, economy, social structure, greed of others or inequitable systems either just don’t get it or won’t put in a big enough effort to use the system that is in place. Yes, there are those born into wealth and they have a monetary advantage. That does not exclude the rest of the population from becoming wealthy or just successful in their own way,
If anyone here has been bitching about what Jon wrote, and complaining about all sorts of reasons for inequality, then you ought to look at just what you have succeeded in. Maybe you aren’t there yet! Maybe you need to take another look at your achievements. Have you attained those things you aspire for. If not maybe you do need a little “C#@^”
Cheers, Leo
Daryl Andrews says
I loved this article Jon, the timing was impeccable, it put a lot of things into perspective for me right now. PS: I think I had the same coach!
Arthur says
I didn’t know couch’s could talk : )
Keith Munro says
As another who rarely comments, lilmis is way off base. Having built a multi-million business from scratch and lost it all to trusting long term friends and associates, I well appreciate both the sentiment and reminder. Any investment in anything is simply sharing in risk. Sure, you’re sharing in the upside, but there are no givens. Look at the way the share market responds to incidents in far flung places. We’re here for a short time. Let’s make it a good time. So now I’m starting again and fast tracking. Doesn’t mean I can’t be respectful, polite and helpful. It also doesn’t mean I won’t compete, fight and not give an inch in business where it isn’t warranted. My competition won’t. Equally, I don’t have to lie or cheat or misappropriate investors’ funds. I’ve even structured the business to guarantee investors funds as far as possible, by returning them their investments out of first year’s income. That no one else does this concerns me not a whit. Why be like everyone else? If you are, you end up like everyone else.
Now to do it. It’s up to me. I remember what it felt like to be successful the first time. When people said “you’re so lucky to be doing that”. Make your own luck. Dare to be different and find the niches that others aren’t servicing properly. Good luck and kick butt.
Di says
Amen
joe petranov says
Law of abundance and good karma apply here
Do good for others with meaning and it will come back to you 🙂
Miriam Knowles says
True Nature is a cruel place – But God designed us Humans to be above that dog eat dog mindset – But You see it so much in the business world – Investment is
Another things Altogether – Thats about mostly taking & using opportunities given
Not wrong – Just what God wants – Only He wants us to invest in something far more important than money & this life – He wants us to invest for the life to come –
& Using Opportunitys He has Given to show His Love & Right ways in our life & that takes maybe choosing to have it rougher now in order to earn & win the prize he offers – Living Forever later in His Kingdom on Earth.
I think id rather do an honest days work – live modestly – be a nobody – And be satisfied with that – And be Somebody – That makes a difference in the Age soon to Dawn upon this unjust & Blighted selfish world – I Believe in Christs Return to this Earth & the the Establishment of A More Just & Equatable Rulership of the earth than we can imagine – Im happy to be a plodder – maybe even a bit of a struggler – & to suffer a bit of deprivation – whats that anyway to believers in the 1st Century who suffered terrible things – For Just wanting to life Pure, Honest & Good Lives – At the hands of Nero The monster & the Ruler of the then known world – Rome being the current superpower of the world to earn a place in this Kingdom Age which we believe will be soon – The current affairs of this world are pointing towards this imminent event – we try to be like Christ in our day to day existence in order that he will grant us to be a citizen of His Kingdom – not a Kingdom of men like now – where anything goes – But A Kingdom of God based on Divine Laws – That would truly be worth waiting for & investing in – Have You Read Barbara Tuchmans – i hope i spelt Tuchman right! – Bible & Sword – gives an interesting slant upon history! – Im Christadelphian – Most People would call us just Christian – But we are quite a bit different from your run of the mill Christian – We Call ourselves bible students – We believe That what Doctrine or Principles U believe & live by hugely impacts your life – For one i want to make sure my lifes not been wasted in vain pursuits – everyone wants to be remembered – We Hope to be remember by God for our intents on living whats True – Most people who call themselves Christians dont know this but The Difference between True Christians – (Christadelphians) & run of the mill Christians is a bit of a history lesson – & those who hate history have to face that its just a fact of life! The Bible itself is basicly a history book – with lessons & Principles to learn about life by – When Constantine came along after Nero – He Totally corrupted True Christianity – He Thought it was cruel to persecute people who were only trying to live good lives – He liked basically what they believed so he thought he would become Christian & make it a state religion – only thing different was he didnt want to live a life of commitment to God & he didnt like missing out on all the pagan roman feasts & indulgences – He decided to combine paganism & Christianity & Just call it Christianity – Which became Catholicism – & still is the religion of Rome But the Trap was – where once the True Christians knew where they stood between right & wrong – & even were prepared to die for it – Here now they could do worship God – & noone would punish them – But living for God became difficult when they saw all the distractions & immoral practises around them -They began to reason why they shouldn’t just share in the festivities & do all the other practises – (which would corrupt an honest & right living True Christian life) that the Roman Christians did – Especially as they now shared the common state religion name – Christian – But even though they were Under that name they were now not living a Truely Pure Christian life at all – They were half worshipping the Empire & Constantine the Emperor & His Standards of moralle & trying to combine it with Gods Morals & that didnt work – So they now didnt have any distinction – Most of Those True Christians died a spiritual death – & True Christianity was lost – & virtually non-existent – There were a few scattered through time after that – Tyndale who translated the bible is thought to have these beliefs & is possible he learnt about resurrection – anyone who studied their bibles came to these simple but profound beliefs – a lot were called protestants & many were persecuted for this by the Catholic System -which they tried to stand apart from
Until in the 1800-1900s -Around the time of the french revolution There was a man that researched all this & put a name to this minority belief – Christadelphian – It means brethren in Christ – He Wrote many books on his discovery – His name was John Thomas – He wrote Elpis Israel – Which means Hope of Israel – We Believe that as Christ came & preached to the Jews first before he was crucified & so did the Apostle Paul – Before the non-Jews – That what we Believe is based on the promise to The Jewish Patriach – Abraham – Who was Promised That in His seed or son All nations would be blessed & son not just meaning Isaac – but more importantly Christ Who would be a Great Decendant of Abraham – who would destroy the power of sin over himself & others – & any who would believe Jew or Gentile that they too could try to conquer sin -Being the worlds biggest problem -in their lives would be blessed by & Through Christ
– Therefore we shuld love the Jews as Gods People – even despite all their special useless devotions they are as ungodly as any athiest – because they don’t believe the way God wants them to – But have all these laws – Instead of the freedom in Christ – At the moment Israel is a burdensome stone to all nations & The World will consider it expedient that one nation becomes extinct for the sake of world peace – because lets face it – a lot of unrest is because of Israels existence – Not that that their very existance shows the existence of God Himself – They would be extinct now if it wasent for Gods hand – & the only reason for their persecution was to bring them to the land of Israel & make them a nation again – But so many people think that by hurting the Jews they are Doing God a favour – The Crusaders thought it was their divine right – The muslims – Arabs – who are actually blood brothers to Israel – through Ishmael – Abrahams other son The Catholics & even some Christians think that the Jews have been cast out – Well the bible says that There will be one more major destruction upon them – that the king of the north – we believe Russia -Gog -the name for the head of Russia – I believe it will be Putin -will want to take control of Jerusalem & Israel – & Believe it to be His Divine right to take the land of unwalled villages – Kibbutzim
– History repeats itself. Sadly 3/4 of the nation will be wiped out – but then God will come & Defend them by Christ & His followers who will come & fight the Russian host & defeat it – we hope to be also part of that army that defends Gods people with Christ – hence the need to love them as Gods Chosen People & Believe in the Promise to their fathers – which we can share – which they rejected when they crucified Christ – But which they will accept when Christ returns and saves them.
ThankYou for reading this far!
Think thats All i have to say on the subject right now – which stemmed from opportunity – Hence The importance to use opportunity wisely as we dont want to end up in any of these bad situations – based on bad decisions
-Sorry I’ve taken up All your blog
Sincerely Miriam Knowles
Brendan says
Seriously?
Miriam Knowles says
Yes! Seriously!
lilmis says
Jon is correct as far as saying that to be an A hole can get you places. If given the chance most people would crap on the person next to them for their own personal gain. And yes there is many people who dont do for themselves for whatever reason and then expect handouts from your success. My success is not from luck it was from ethics. I make ethical decisions everyday that most people would never even think of. And I can guarantee you that my definiton of success is way off what most peoples definition is. In general day to day life, it is a dog eat dog world and most people learn it the hard way. What Im saying is that people need to think about WHAT the actual investment is. Dont just trust what your financial advisor tells you because he has his hand in your pocket also and yes, DARE TO BE DIFFERENT, thats exactly what Im saying. Know who the banks that you use are and where they invest. People are using, supporting and investing in schemes that exploit the planets resources faster than Earth can remake it. The attitude of here for a good time, not a long time is why the world is in this mess and why people are so desperatley looking for a way out. Every one wants a good time, all the time and its generally at the earths expense. The fact that Jon has written this post shows that people dont want to be c***s to make millions. All im saying is that people should know what they are investing in before jumping in head first. Or even better, (laugh at me if you want) but donate money to environmental causes. It lowers your tax and you get an immediate return because its less money you pay out and at the same time your making an ivestment for the future of the planet and yourself. Im not really into biting the hand that feeds me and you cant fight fire with fire. And most rich people I know arent nice. They are scared. Scared to lose what they have built and that makes them nasty because all of a sudden you are vulnerable.
Ken says
I disagree with that mate. I’ve done ok, and have never shit on anyone to get ahead. I also have never even thrown the first insult at anyone. You can have mongrel or drive in you without harming the little bloke. Two things my father said to me was, be a gentleman to women, and stand up for the weak. I regret I haven’t always been the first one, but have always been the second one. But don’t get me wrong just let any idiot shit on me and I’ll come out swinging. That’s the way I was bought up anyway.
Dean says
We live a privileged life.Being born in Australia, being born white, having had access to education, health care, social support systems, developed governmental systems, (despite all their faults) has given us a massive edge over the majority of mankind. i know this very well. I live OS for a large part of each year in countries where such privileges are just dreamed about. Where access to water and electricity are not accepted but fought for. Where basic health care is denied folks and poverty reigns supreme. Where life expectancy is low and schooling is questionable. Where ones “daily bread” is lucky to be just that.
That there is no scarcity, that there is abundance, and that the law of karma “works” is to me a very self centred, arrogant anglophile perspective on the world.
Sure, its good to be driven, Sure, there is sometimes a need to push hard and fight. But there is also, a need to be cognizant of the myriad of implications that the competitive dog eats dog philosophy engenders.
As i travel, i am for ever put in situations where my superior training and education, fiscal and cultural status, my passport, (to name a few advantages we all have) can give me massive advantage over people in a variety of ways. However, the beauty of my travels is that it has shown me that in fact, one does not have to continue this dog eat dog competitiveness based philosophy towards living, and that there is definitely better ways to conduct oneself.
The first main lesson i learnt when i was a young hippy kid travelling thru mother india, was that it was in fact the poorest people who were the more genuine: more giving, more open, more sharing, more caring , more loving, less selfish. Not defiled by the money god and accepting ones lot (an interesting off shoot of the otherwise faulted caste system) ; not “aspiring ” for more is actually one of the most liberating things.
I discovered true happiness…I discovered that this western consumptive drive is a total fallacy that underpins so much of the illness..( eg mentally, physically, socially,and financially for example) that exists out there. That those with a gaggle of possessions only then worry about maintaining them, growing them, and losing them…and in this horrible stressful process, people usually lose sight of the fact that that stuff is exactly that..stuff. That true love, happiness and security comes from the social relations that one forges outside of the fiscal realm, and in fact, the relationships developed around money are mostly a bad investment.
I could easily be a lot more financially wealthy today. But why? I retired many many moons ago, and pursue a fiscal philosophy of not worrying what comes in but focusing on what goes out. Being aware of my ecological foot print, redefining my wants and needs and minimizing my potent of harm on others and the world around me. Paying things forward. Dedicating time towards addressing the inequities. Using my education, status and wealth not for generating profit,but for impacting community. I leave the going hard to the sportspeople i follow, and advocate to those who have cared to read this to think more globally, more fairly, to be aware of their implicit advantages and the obligations for fairness and equity such advantages engender.
Leo says
Hi Dean. Lovely to see such a free spirit. Tell me who in India if given the opportunity to make a lot of money, would not take it. We all want a better life.
Mother Earth (not Mother India) is only going to live for a undetermined time. No one knows when she will die, but die she will. There is not one single thing anyone before us or that comes after us can do to change that.
If there were never humans on the planet, the planet will still die, sorry, it’s a fact
Leo..
joe petranov says
Leo only God knows the fate of Earth … if your arent God ….plz dont state ” FACT”
Miriam Knowles says
DITTO! – So True – God does know the fate of this earth – He wants to fill it with Goodness from Himself!
joe petranov says
Absolutely thxs Miriam
Dean says
Leo, this is where it seems, that those of you programmed to think making a lot of money is the “raison d atre” are misguided. I advise you go to india and see/ learn a bit about life outside your box. There are a lot of souls there who value so much more in life than making money. Sadly, for sure, the country is indeed being dragged into the paradigm of greed that infects most in the west, and from this a lot of sadness and misery emerges.
Is your argument that the world will end eventually the basis for your acceptance of the legitimacy of the dog eat dog philosophy? Super! Well done! You are right though. You seemingly proudly represent the vast majority of humans who are basically so selfish, arrogant and ignorant as i espoused above, to ensure that ultimately, yes, the world as we know it will be ruined. well before its ultimate use by date.
Better is not to be narrowly defined by wealth Leo. Health over Wealth anyday mate. I wish for you to live a healthy life, in a healthy working community, in a healthy sustainable environment.. If you can have that, then wealth actually aint so important.
Sandman says
Mate, I don’t know who you are, but this is one of the finest things I have read in a long, long time. Thanks…..
John Ashley says
Know the rules and the laws for the environment you work and compete, develop the knowledge, emotional intelligence and effective skills, then every play and tackle will be sweet success. Feelings of success are tangible assets. Challenge your own conventional beliefs!
Daz says
wow. I think a few people here didn’t play footy. Most seem to have missed the point, the term ” get a bit of c%^& in ya” does not mean to be a c%^&,
It means to be hard at what you do, do it with purpose, do it fairly or you will be panelised. with that positive mindset you will defeat your biggest opponent, yourself.
I dont think it was meant to refer to God, the environment or Tony Abbott.
cheers
Peter says
There are some very well written comments here from both sides of the fence,and there will always be two sides to a fence.First of all to those who have finished their comments with the word “:sorry”,that is something you never do,if you have the courage of your convictions,say your piece,fullstop.It’s the same as a salesman closing a deal,after putting his final question the next one to blink(speak),loses…or thanking an audience of whatever makeup for listening to you speak,it’s a No No.Whatever the strength or weakness of your argument,you immediately deflate your point of view and it will stay with no-one.
As regards,your first topic.Jon,I’ll never be able to hear the glee from The Australian loud enough.Myself and millions of other Australians waited far too long to hear that glee,and those last two Labor “leaders”(they certainly were no Government) left enough debris in their wake to allow us to enjoy the glee for years to come.What with the BER,the NRAS,the NBN and any other alphabetical combinations they came up with,that crowd were incapable of making anything work,regardless of the virtue of their intentions.And by the look of the next generation of Leftists,they’ve learnt nothing.
Your first paragraph regaled The Australian for its attitude,then you spend the body of your comments admitting they got it right…though not in so many words of course.
Stating that ‘you “doubt whether any of us knew what he was talking about” in U16
football,makes me wonder what the hell you were doing trying to play football in the first place.Taking another 10 years to apply the coachs’ urging to the financial world is perfectly understandable.
I totally agree with the second section of your remarks with the proviso that ethical investment should be at the top of the list.,eg I agree fully with all the comments made by Radio 2GB presenters on the subject of coal seam gas and yet their sales dept.are currently running ads on behalf of that industry.No way!.
….. .
lilmis says
So if your doing it fairly and without purpose to win or better your position then you wouldnt need to get a bit of c… in you.
And decisions are not black and white. People need to know their true intentions and make a well informed choice wether it involve the environment, politics or for some people even god. Im sure there are more philosophical examples about getting ahead to those who choose to apply their morals to more than football. Where is that coach now? Im curious.
Daz says
This may fall on deaf ears but, the article (in my view) refers to winning the fight within yourself.
Not fighting your neighbour.
Its a term used to motivate people to knuckle down work hard and achieve their goals.
some people may require ‘Epicurus’ or ‘Socreates’ for their philosophical motivation, but in the middle of a huddle at three quarter time, sometimes its all a humble junior coach has.
No one said it was witty or intellect and the coach was never going to win a Noble Peace Prize for it. There is no other moral to the story.
Have a great week end Lilmis.
Daz
lilmis says
Lol, dont expect much from a shallow investment.
Julia says
I appreciate the sentiment. The sexist language however completely pissed me off. As a female investor we face enough hurdles without smart men making dumb sexist comments.
daz says
Which part is sexist?
Miriam Knowles says
Yes id like to know too!?
Ken. says
I think, for a woman to say, “pissed me off,” sounds like something a man would say, and hence, sexist on it’s own. Don’t you think you should have said, peed me off. that would have sounded more feminine.
Anton says
It is the attainment of “financial freedom” that is seen to be the true measure of success in most people’s minds. The reason for this is that financial freedom gives each person choices, allows them to attain inner calm and consequently allows them to maintain health. It is curious that despite this preoccupation with financial success only around 1 per cent of the population in any given generation have ever attained, or been granted through their position, financial freedom. The critical question to ask is whether it is the individual, or the system they operate in, which is most responsible for the results each person achieves during their lifetime. Those who have studied financial success in great detail, particularly in the USA, have argued, and will no doubt continue to argue, that each individual must change their attitude and in the process accept much greater responsibility for their results in life. These gurus of wealth creation believe that we are spiritual beings who are governed by universal laws that apply to wealth accumulation just as surely as they do to the physical universe. It is because only 1 per cent of the population in any given generation understands and uses these laws in a “positive way” that a minority has attained financial freedom in each generation. The wealth creation industry does not seem to concern itself with the nature of the economic system. Their view seems to be that each individual should pursue their own goals irrespective of whether that action will result in redistribution of wealth from anyone else in society. The opposing view is that the 1 per cent that attains financial freedom does so because of an inequitable system and their inherent talents. The wealthy minority in each generation has learned various wealth creation concepts, which along with tax minimisation allow them to achieve their financial success.
Those who believe in the human potential to improve would tend to argue that that every person has the potential to achieve financial freedom through their own efforts and a positive attitude. Those who believe that negative conditioning is a by-product of a negative system, which has at its core the concept of profit in all areas of human endeavour, would tend to argue that the system must be changed in order for every individual to be given a fair chance to achieve financial security for themselves and their loved ones. It is my belief that the latter observation is more accurate in explaining why such a tiny percentage of the population in every generation has been able to “transcend” the system restrictions in order to achieve financial success. Poverty is not a condition that most people deliberately choose for themselves, in the same way that slavery was not such a condition. Poverty is a condition that is imposed on people by the economic system they are forced to operate in. It seems logical, therefore, to suggest that the most effective and most permanent method for eliminating poverty is to change the economic system, especially since there are insufficient jobs in the world that offer the luxury of a surplus income that only talented individuals can derive. Financial freedom is, therefore, inextricably interwoven with financial slavery. For any of us to be financially free we need to be free of debt first. The free market, however, encourages accumulation of debt and it is this that allows a minority to gain their financial freedom and makes slaves of everyone else because they cannot establish a surplus income position in the way that the wealthy minority can. In this case most humans are slaves to a “blessed” minority because of the free enterprise system that allows humans to be seen as commodities rather than the spiritual beings that the wealth gurus insist we are. The exploiters, however, cannot become spiritual beings whilst they exploit the efforts of the exploited. To encourage people to get a bit of mongrel in them simply continues to perpetuate the inequities of an inequitable system.
Leo says
OH Anton. I never made a penny in my life without it being from helping someone else. Why? I helped them to help myself. Where would my money come from if I didn’t do that. I find the more I help others the more I receive.
Just like those wealth gurus’ say.
Leo
Anton says
Leo it is interesting that you mention helping others in order to help your self. That requires co-operation. The corporate world, which is the predominant employer of workers, however, bases its behaviour on the law of the jungle, where every organism competes with every other organism for resources and survival. I can understand the myriad of creatures in the jungle being locked into the competitive mode of behaviour. Humans, however, are self aware and can CHOOSE co-operation over competition and ethics over greed. The fact that we have not done so goes back to my argument that the artificial system those in power created at the start of the Industrial Revolution is the reason why most of humanity will continue to struggle to attain “wealth”.
Kat M says
Unfortunately in sports there is always only one winner (team or individual) with the second place being the first loser. Successful investing requires risk-taking, self-discipline and being a little hard on others (think Gina Rinehart!). Keep the Golden rule in mind at all times just make sure you practise gratitude and thank God, the government, the coach, or the system for your successes.
Cherie Buckley says
Yes, Please!!!
lilmis says
Ok, so theres a few people out there who enjoy thinking before spending!
🙂
Barry says
Fair article, but clean up your language as that sends a totally different message.
Los says
I can relate to this piece a lot! Well put.
Darren says
i too, live in this beautiful and prosperous country we call ‘straya’. i understand we have advantages above and beyond those experienced in other places around the globe, but i refuse to feel guilty for it. i figure the more i earn the more i can help. unfortunately a kind heart and a caring soul don’t pay the mortgage, or allow me to donate squat to deserving people or charities that scream for assistance. do not EVER feel bad for making lots and lots of money, as its this money that creates jobs for those who need them, help for those that crave it and safety, food, education and a roof that doesn’t leak over the heads of my family 🙂 so i will keep a little ‘dog eat dog’ in me and continue on my merry way.
Bruce says
isn’t it interesting, Dean is obviously a labor voter, nothing wrong with that, but i feel that we all need to be a bit more ruthless, but keep our dignity and generosity,.
you can do it all you know,, cheers B