Sandra Newman @sannewman
THE SEVEN SECRETS OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE
- Private school
- Legacy lvy admission
- Nepotism hire
- Seed capital from family
- Club memberships
- Personal assistant, nanny, ghost writer answer
- Journalists who ask, “What’s your secret?” and uncritically publish the
Wealthy, not rich, not even affluent. Wealthy just means I can afford to live comfortably as long as I don’t get a prolonged illness or get sued. They key to happiness is the management of expectations.
You’re describing being upper middle class not wealthy.
I think people reading my comment and getting stuck on “wealthy” are missing the forest for the leaves. My point was that unless you were lucky to be born privileged, regardless of level of privilege, your only way up is if you have excellent education (especially if that education includes privileged friends like you would get in a private school), a hunger and singular focus to get out from your shitty situation, and copious amounts of luck.
People born rich have no idea what it takes to climb out from living in public housing. Had my mother not spent a huge chunk of her paycheck on my private education, and had federal grants and low tuition not existed in the 90’s, there’s no way I would have had the life I have now.
Looking at tuition prices now pisses me off. I guess the crack in the window people like me squeezed through was too wide, so they tightened it down further.
You’ve got it backwards. As Chris Rock said, “Shaq is rich. The white man who signs his check is wealthy.”
https://youtu.be/W726xNPtEbQ
In my mind, affluent < rich < wealthy. But it’s all relative anyway.
To me:
Affluent: Nice house, nice car, nice clothes, in debt up to their eye balls. Can afford college for the kids…for more debt. Kids will graduate with crippling debt.
Wealthy: Can afford to buy nice things. Can afford to send kids to college. No debt.
Rich: Fuck you money
Billionaires: Honestly, my brain can’t reconcile this level of wealth. I just can’t comprehend it.
Honestly to me a “rich person” is kinda just someone who can pay rent on time every month, without stressing about it.
I hear ya. It’s all relative. I remember back in 1997 I had done a little job, got paid for it, and deposited the check. It was the first time I saw that I had $424 in my bank account mid month and I didn’t have to stress about rent. I remember because I thought it was so much money that I had to show my wife.
My wife was the first to get “a good job” (it was actually terrible) and I remember when she got her first paycheck. It was $998.86 and we just happy cried in the car.
My mother died during my senior year of high school and her parents are in a poor Eastern European country. No help was coming. These memories stick around because, wether other people think it or not, being that desperate leaves a permanent mark, and these were the first glimpses of hope.
PS: The place we rented for $275 (yes, it was a ghetto) twenty five years ago goes for $1200 now. I genuinely have no idea how people are supposed to survive.