“All of us are self-made, but only the successful will admit it.” – Earl Nightingale
These words by Nightingale mean that our destiny is not by default but decided by our choices and consistent actions.
It means that life doesn’t owe you anything, instead; you are the one who must express the talents that God gifted you with. God gave you the raw material, and yours is to polish it to shine.
So, your destiny is determined by the effort you exert in polishing and shining your raw material, which is the talent that God gifted you with.
Abraham Maslow said, “What one can be, one must be!” This means we all carry that responsibility to discover that we must be and become that. We have to learn to play the hand that life deals us.
After all, we are all self-made. It is just only the successful ones who will admit it. Some people have made their lives into adventure movies and created a true masterpiece for themselves.
Many people have built their lives on a bedrock of safe choices and settled for a life of mediocrity, while others, through their choices, have turned their lives into a Greek Tragedy and pay dearly for it.
So, what have you made with this life it has gifted you with? What have you become? Who have you become? Are you happy with your creation?
Being a self-made successful person requires that you build your life on a bedrock foundation of self-reliance. Be mindful. If self-reliance means a strong belief in your ability to achieve success and happiness on your own terms, then dependency on others is an absence of such belief.
This is an understanding that no one owes you anything.
