Actually, it IS your fault.
Barack Obama was raked over the coals this week (at least on Fox news) for suggesting that the US is not as competitive as it used to be, and that Americans are becoming complacent about their #1 position in the world.
What is interesting about Obama’s comment is that so many people agree that the US is not as competitive as it used to be, yet refuse to believe that they personally have anything to do with the situation.
I know many Chinese parents whose children are enrolled in soccer camp, take swimming lessons and piano lessons, have math tutoring, and yet still have time to meet their friends for several “playdates” per week – after finishing their homework, of course. They have this much free time because they are only allowed to watch 2-3 hours of television per week, with another 1-2 hours per week to surf the Internet or play video games. In contrast, I also know many American families whose children do almost nothing except watch television and play computer games.
The above is merely anecdotal evidence, of course, and doesn’t prove a thing. But can we really call the average American family “motivated and driven to succeed?”
To find out if you are part of the problem or exempt from scorn, ask yourself the following questions:
1) Do you watch 3 hours or more of television per day? How about your children?
2) How many books have you read in the last month?
3) Do you currently have 3-6 months of emergency savings in cash, in case of injury, unemployment, or other unforeseen disasters? If not, why not?
4) Do you have trouble saving money? If so, what have you recently done to drastically reduce your spending or increase your income (or both). Or, do you just complain that bills are hard to pay but do nothing about it?
5) During the last few years, have you purchased items like recreation vehicles, sports equipment, home decorations, electronics etc. on credit that you did not pay back at the end of the month? Why?
6) Have you been with your company for five years or longer? If so, have you recently upgraded your skills/taken training courses etc on your own time? Have you expanded your skill set to improve your employability outside your currently industry?
7) Do you hate your job? If so, what have you done to change careers or companies? Have you updated your resume and practiced your interview skills? How many jobs have you applied for?
In street interviews, website comments, and in social media, it is apparent that many Americans believe things will never get better: that they will always be unemployed, never get out of debt etc. The more healthy reaction, of course, would be to say, “Wow, I was really stupid to rack up all that debt on my credit cards and house. Now I’m going to have to study and train and work three times as hard.”
Of course, self-analysis is a difficult process and most people avoid it. So, just continue to believe you are unemployed because of the President of the United States.
____
People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."
Andrew Carnegie
____
see also:
