10 Things I Wish I Had Never Believed
by Steve ----Bookmark on del.icio.us----I’m writing this list for you because I wish somebody had sent me this list years ago.
- Money is the root of all evil *
Money isn’t good or evil. It’s a tool like a hammer or a saw. You can create with it or destroy with it. People use it to build infrastructure, to build research facilities, to find cleaner sources of energy, and to create timeless art and literature. If you use your money to create value for yourself and others, your money will grow – and you will have all the money you’ll ever need. However, if you hoard money selfishly or spend it frivolously, you will never have enough. Don’t you think you could contribute more to society, the world, and other people if you had great wealth? So what’s wrong with intending to be wealthy? Do you believe you have the capacity to create value in other people’s lives? Those that think and act create wealth, so if you intend to become wealthy, don’t wait around for a government grant or the winning lotto numbers, get out there and start creating value for other people today.
Why People Believe Money is the Root of All Evil - Getting a good job is the best way to earn money
Ask any entrepreneur if she’d like to quit and get a job. Then ask most people with a job if they’d like to quit and work for themselves. Most wealthy people will tell you a job is the worst way to make money.
Why Getting a Good Job isn’t the Best Way to Earn Money - Emotional people are weak, vulnerable, and easily manipulated
It’s the exact opposite. Strong emotions are a source of strength and power. The stronger your emotions and the better your ability to focus your emotion, the more creative and powerful you are. Denying your emotions creates weakness and vulnerability.
The Secret Great Leaders Know About Emotions - Admitting a mistake is a sign of weakness
If you aren’t making mistakes you aren’t learning anything. Fearing mistakes is the real weakness. Denying your mistakes, repeating them, and expecting different results is insane.
Success is 99% Failure - You can’t be successful without a college degree
This one was drilled into my head for years and I believed it. The results of this belief were devastating. I didn’t earn a decent living until I was able to squash the belief.85%76% of Americans do not have a degree. I want to be very clear about this – I know I am on dangerous ground – so here goes – All of you with college educations are valuable and you have tremendous ability to create value in the world. This is not a criticism of your achievements. But I also must say – if you are one of the85%76% that do not have a degree, you are equally valuable and you are not inferior. You have equal potential to create value in the world, even if you never get a degree. People with and without degrees create amazing results everyday. If you hate flipping burgers or ringing orders at Wal-Mart don’t continue just because our culture tells you it’s your lot in life. Don’t listen to the voice in your head that tells you what you can’t do. Tell it to shut-up. Then start to visualize what you desire to be and you will slowly become what you visualize.
10 Tips to Secure a Management Position without a College Degree - Your doctor is the best source of medical or psychiatric information
Medical information is expanding so rapidly doctors are increasingly using Google to diagnose patients. According to studies, 30% of patients are misdiagnosed and treated for a condition they do not have. Obviously, if you have a medical or psychiatric problem you should see a doctor, but question what they tell you. Don’t accept it on blind faith. Use your critical thinking. Ask difficult questions. Many people are afraid to question their doctor. Don’t be afraid! I believe questioning my doctor saved my life (I plan to do a post on that experience). Do research online about your condition and you may find that you know more about the condition than your doctor. If that happens, it may be time to find a new doctor. Remember there is nothing special or magical about doctors, they’re people just like you and me. Many of them are extremely busy, and they make mistakes – lots of mistakes. So be your own advocate. See your doctor, but do your own research in the library and online. And if you need to make a big medical decision, get a second, third, or fourth opinion. Your health is in your hands. You make the final decision.
Always Question Your Doctor - Three Stories Why - School is the best place for kids to learn
It’s probably the worst place for kids to learn. I wrote this in my last blog post:Bob Proctor said that the problem with education is that it teaches us what to think, not how to think. Bob is wrong. It’s much worse than that. Our schools teach us to think destructive thoughts, which produce negative results in our lives and in the world. I know this sounds crazy and defies conventional wisdom, but it isn’t an attack on teachers or intellectuals. They are victims of the same monolithic government system as the students. Most teachers know intuitively how screwed up the system is and they know they are powerless to change it. So instead of explaining my position, I’ll let the New York State Teacher of the Year John Taylor Gatto make the argument in his essay The Seven Lesson School Teacher and his interview in Fast CompanyRead my follow up: How the Public School System Crushes Souls
- Personal Development or Self-Help is a left-wing hippy thing
You may have a preconceived notion about Self-Help, but if you look closely I think you’ll find it is an inaccurate stereotype. When some people think of a ‘hippy’, they think of a bunch of scruffy unshaven kids in tie-dye shirts tripping on acid at a Grateful Dead show. When they think of ‘left-wing’, they think of socialism, communism, and atheism. All the Personal Development gurus I’ve seen are clean cut, positive thinking, deeply spiritual, entrepreneurs awash in wealth. Hardly a bunch of scruffy, atheistic, drug abusing, socialists. I highly recommend a Personal Development program regardless of your political or religious beliefs. My program has created amazing positive results. - I should ignore my feelings and make decisions with hard reason and logic
This is a lie I used to tell myself. You buy the house you buy because of how it makes you feel. You bought the car you drive because of the way it makes you feel. You eat the food you eat because of the way it makes you feel. You choose the relationships you have because of the way you feel. You choose a career because of how it makes you feel. There is no such thing as an emotionless rational decision. All good marketers and sales people know this. Accept the role your feelings play in decision-making. So if you are getting lousy results in your life, it’s probably because of the decisions you are making. You can only change the way you make decisions by changing the way you feel. Hard reason won’t change anything. Trying to plan your life with hard reason and logic results in inertia.
Give me 3 Minutes and I’ll Make You a Better Decision Maker - That I Should Put Political Opinions on This List
Big mistake on my part. See #4. I used to have a political opinion as #10 and it tainted this list. This isn’t a political blog. My goal is to help everybody, regardless of political opinions. I apologize to anyone I alienated. I’ll view it as an opportunity to learn.
Read the 10 part series on the 10 things I wish I had never believed:
#1 Why People Believe Money is the Root of All Evil
#2 Why Getting a Good Job isn’t the Best Way to Earn Money
#3 The Secret Great Leaders Know About Emotions
#4 Success is 99% Failure
#5 10 Tips to Secure a Management Position without a College Degree
#6 Always Question Your Doctor - Three Stories Why
#7 How the Public School System Crushes Souls
#9 Give Me 3 Minutes and I’ll Make you a Better Decision Maker
* I realize the original biblical quote is “The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil.” But many people, me included, misunderstood the quote, and that’s why I wrote it the way I did. The belief was rampant in my working class subculture. People looked down on you if you wanted to achieve wealth. Many people viewed you as a sellout or a crook. They believed in the virtue in being poor. They also believed that most wealthy people were unethical crooks that became wealthy on the backs of the working class. In some cases, this was true, but in most it wasn’t and the belief trapped the working class into a life of servitude. I plan to do more posts on working class culture.
November 11th, 2006 at 8:29 pm
I wish I hadn’t gotten the getting a job is the best way to earn a good living, but I’m over it now. I know it’s not.
Also, despite my father trying to prove it wrong his whole life I still somehow got the message that artists (performance, visual, and musical) do not earn good money. Not an artist, but I know that they do and this is only a belief.
Another one is that soft skills are not worth it. Become a lawyer, doctor, or engineer to earn money. Teachers, psychologists, heck even marketers do not earn good money.
Thank God all banished. Follow your heart, the money will take care of itself.
November 12th, 2006 at 6:06 pm
Another thing to keep in mind is the idea of having ‘enough’. I have a friend who makes twice what I do, and he’s not happier–in fact, he has locks on EVERYTHING and expects the worst from strangers….but then, he IS Republican…lol
November 12th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
Wow - you lead off with the biggest cliche… it’s not MONEY that’s the root of all evil… it’s the LOVE of money… see the Bible where this quote comes from…
1Titus 6:10
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
November 12th, 2006 at 7:05 pm
My opinion:
#1 I agree with, money isn’t the root of all evil, merely one way greed can be expressed. Placing yourself above others is a common root of evil.
#2 I guess that’s true if you can handle being you own boss you’ll make more money.
#3 Half-correct - emotions can also be the canvas of madness.
#4. Flip-flopping, finding mistakes and seeking to correct them, is actually a good thing.
#5. I can find other statistics saying that most americans without a degree are making the least money. I’m in it for the credentials and the broadening of experience, but I’m not naive enough to believe it’s a sure fire ticket to fame and fortune.
#6. Yeah, doctors are people too, and make mistakes. Alot. Even with the latest medical technology, the human body and mind is not an easy machine to fix, but some fixes are easier than others.
#7. Whether or not school is the best place to learn, not all parents can take the time to home school, and few parents are any match for a professional.
#8. It’s true, self-help gurus often round out the part that a conventional educaiton can’t or won’t. Granted, not all self-help gurus are created equal. Some are just after your pocketbook, so watch that.
#9. Unfortunately, my capacity to interpret my emotions is too weak for me to really make decisions with it. Your milage may vary. Logic may be self-defeating at times, due to the ease of making incorrect logical conclusions, but it is better than screaming at life’s problems and hoping they’ll be solved.
#10. Republicans don’t plan to reduce the size of government, they don’t strengthen the military, they aren’t any more motivated to perform homeland security than any other politician who doesn’t want to get blown up, and the main taxes they cut are for the upper class. They’re in severe need of reform. Again.
November 12th, 2006 at 7:35 pm
Okay,
You guys got me. I knew the quote about money was ‘the love of money is the root of all evil’. But many people misunderstand that quote. Many people I know think anyone that has money (more money than them) is an unethical crook. I believed that for years and it’s absolutely incorrect - thus the wording in #1
November 12th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Bravo! Bravo!
Though I love my parents dearly, I wish they had taught these things to me at an early age. Alas, everything that they taught me was diametrically opposed to these ten items, and I have spent every day of my adult life trying to rectify the problems it caused.
November 12th, 2006 at 9:36 pm
Money is not the root of all evil. The LOVE of money is the root of all evil
November 13th, 2006 at 7:23 am
I like having a job but might at some point do something by myself. But I’m also fortunate to have a job with great benefits and money.
You make some very good points though. I wish I would have known twenty years ago what I do know. But that’s of course very tough to do something about. I will try to teach my kids a lot more than my parents did. Stuff they actually have some use for.
And I’m so with you about the republicans. They have amazingly managed to turn the whole world against America in five short years. That’s just damn impressive.
Ad
November 13th, 2006 at 10:35 am
About this degree thing, I must disagree with you. While a degree is NOT the only way into a successful life, nor its any garatee that one will succeed. A degree is only a piece of paper, you can buy one on the Internet, but what you can´t buy is knowledge, for that you have to rely on your experiences… and college can be a great experience after all… I´ve known people who were absolutely clueless when got into college and four years later they were changed, into something better.
I know you can say that there are people who don´t get anything out of college, just waste their money, and it´s true, but I believe people like that wont get any knowledge anywhere… not until they grow…
What I mean is… college is no holly grail, but it´s not a waste either! It all depends on the person, like you said, how they feel about it and about life.. there is just no easy answer for everyone…
You have to remember that not everyone have what it takes to be an entrepreneur… If that was true, who would work for them?? think about it…
November 13th, 2006 at 11:44 am
I didn’t say a degree was a waste. It certainly is not a waste. I said it isn’t required to be successful. The CEO of our company doesn’t have one and he isn’t the founder. He was hired for the job.
November 13th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Rephrase to ‘Your likelyhood of success without a degree is greatly diminished.’
November 13th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
All bar #1: The phrase (even in its common form) is ‘Money if the ROOT of all evil, ‘ not evil itself.
November 13th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
I really wish I never believed my parents were an authority on anything. They may have good advice on some things, but the best advice they should have given me on any topic would have been “go read a book (or two) about it.” As it’s been noted; we believe many of the things on this list because our parents told us so. Religion, money, school, politics, etc. Our parents should help us to feel more free to make our own decisions on these things.
November 13th, 2006 at 1:44 pm
I had never heard the it’s “the love of money that is the root of all evil” just that “money is the root of all evil” so it really doesn’t matter where it came from, what matters is that this phrase is what is actually being spread.
I totally understand where you are coming from with the college degree thing. You can be just as successful with or without a college degree. If you want to be a successful doctor, it just happens to be that getting your degrees is part of that path. If you want to be a successful sales person, it may have no relevance at all. And of course, it makes a difference how you are measuring your success. If it’s with money, then no, a college degree means little, if it’s knowledge or framed paperwork on your wall, then yes, it does matter.
November 13th, 2006 at 1:46 pm
Regarding success and degrees…
I’m to the point where maybe I need to pull up stakes and move to a large metropolitan area… The companies around here (rural - extreme southern MN), don’t appear to hire for jobs without *some* type of degree. They’re even wanting *some* college for a lot of the 7 dollar per hour jobs!! Needless to say, it’s really discrouaging AND exasperating.
There seems to be a level of elitism amongst the ‘educated’ class (at least around here) who look down on those who haven’t gotten that degree… I dunno, maybe the situation is better in larger urban areas where jobs are more plentiful and there is more competition for workers???
November 13th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
well - You make some good points and some pretty poor ones. School is the WORST place for kids to learn for example. Its not the worst but it does need reform, at the TED conference this year there was a talk given on the shift away from core math and english. The best place for students to learn is off thier parents, im fairly liberal but this leads me to belive that lots of people shouldnt be allowed children if they dont know how to raise them, Much as a problem here in england as it is in America. Highest teen pregnacy in europe woo! Thats not schools fault its the parents.
A degree being a waste? If u apply for a job and 85% of the applicants dont have a degree - you’ve just made the top %15. Have you heard the phrase “you need to spend money to make money”? Not strictly accurate but wealthy people make thier money off investment, the long and short of it is lending it to people who are less wealthy gives your money serious gains.
Self help can be very rewarding but as Penn and teller will tell you by far the majority of them preach shite that you already know. Its the human condition that we ignore inconvenient fact until someone tells them to you. A friend and a book on money management (or any other side of life thats causeing woe’s) and talking it through rectifies the majority of ails.
calculated risk in my opinion is one of the key life lessons more people need. Its exactly the reason that over %80 of startups fail in 2 years. Guaging chance is what life is about - and as Meshush said “not everyone has what it takes to be an entrepeneur.
November 13th, 2006 at 1:50 pm
Steve, you took the red pill. Good for you. Just don’t expect the masses of people out there who choose to labor on within the confines of the matrix will get it. They won’t. Best of luck to you.
-Vince
November 13th, 2006 at 2:06 pm
Oh Hell… how we were mislead!! I want to wring those brain washers nuts off! No one tells a kid to be an independent thinker and individual. Even if his ideas are wacky, he had them and was the creator of them, and at the time felt proud of them. Thanks for the opening of eyes here there are more crappy beliefs out there that have lead us to believe we were doing the right thing. War is one who says the enemy wasn’t partially correct in some way? No one stops to think any more.
November 13th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
just for the hell of it… the actual biblical quote is “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” which sounds more like causes evil of all kinds… not all the evil that exists. Never-the-less, great point, and very good list
November 13th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
I don’t have kids, but how am I supposed to teach them these things if/when I do? I can’t send them to school everyday while telling them it’s a terrible place to learn and it’s a waste. I can’t in good conscience tell them it’s ok not to go to college…though lord knows college didn’t work out for me. I kind of have to tell them to listen to doctors and get a job (though I didn’t do either).
I don’t know the balance of emotion and reason, but I think it’s a personal thing. Denying either one isn’t a good idea. But it seems hard to make an emotional person logical or a logical person “emotional” (…I don’t even know what that means…crying at movies? hugging strangers?).
These are all very good insights and I’ve had most of them over the last few years. But I think it’s all an issue of age (I’m 26). God help any teenagers who stumble across this…I think this is dangerous knowledge if you’re not “ready” for it.
November 13th, 2006 at 2:44 pm
“85% of Americans don’t have a college degree”
That must be why the national average income is so low.
November 13th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
Dude, you need to read some John Taylor Gatto on education. He rips into the whole education system as a machine for producing docile worker-consumers whose only purpose is to be fodder for the machine of business.
See http://www.fastcompany.com/online/40/wf_gatto.html
for details.
November 13th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
I’ll have to disagree with you about the education bit, but not for the economic reasons. My five years at the university were probably the best of my life. Yes, it was hard work. Yes, some lecturers suck. But you’re bound to meet a lot of interesting, strange, smart, cool and otherwise people at a place like that. Go abroad while studying (I wish I had), and you’ll find other cultures are not as bad as they sound in the news. Get involved in politics, sports, culture, or technology. Whatever makes your day, I’d say the most likely place to find it is in “higher” education.
The most important thing my parents taught me about education was that it gives you choice. If you don’t like your job, fine. Don’t like the country, then have a look around. Unless you got a PhD in blowing soap bubbles, you can find a job in virtually any city, make a business for yourself based on sound judgment, and generally find whatever you’re comfortable with. Me, I got to work at the place I was hoping for as a kid.
Education is worth it, and certainly not just for the money.
November 13th, 2006 at 3:37 pm
>Money…
Money is not the root of all evil.
The love of money is not the root of all evil.
IMO the perceived LACK of money is the root of a lot of evil.
>Republican Party plans to reduce the size of government.
If you want to reduce government vote Libertarian.
November 13th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
>Money…
Money is not the root of all evil.
The love of money is not the root of all evil.
IMO the perceived LACK of money is the root of a lot of evil.
—
Point there!
November 13th, 2006 at 3:54 pm
cyber_trigger: AMEN on the Libertarian comment.
Steve: All I can think of is, “D’uh!” It is too bad so many people take what they are told/taught on blind faith without even examining the concept as it pertains to their own life.
November 13th, 2006 at 4:40 pm
i’ll agree with a few posters in that it was never “Money” that was the root of all evil, it was the “love of money” that was the root of all evil
November 13th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
It actually says “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10). Not all evil comes from the love of money, just many different kinds of evil.
November 13th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
I just discussed this same issue with a friend of mine this weekend
“The love of money is the root of all evil”. He asked me why did I want to be a Billionaire? I responded with two short answers,
*First off because Information has given me unlimited potential to do so.
*Secondly philanthropy is in my bones (every wealthy person is obligated to give back to their community whether they think so or not.)
November 13th, 2006 at 5:42 pm
Very nice list, but it looks like you’re still clinging to one vestigial fallacy - that somehow we atheists are to be equated with “scruffy, drug abusing, socialists.”
This is, of course, incorrect. We do not need religion or new age gurus to tell us what is moral and what is not.
Most of us have high levels of education, do good work within our community and conduct our lives in a highly respectable manner.
Nevertheless, your other points are well taken.
November 13th, 2006 at 8:49 pm
The USA Today article you reference says that 15.5% have bachelor’s and 8.9% have a graduate. That makes 24.4% with a degree and 75.6% without, not 85%.
November 13th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
This is a good list with, as you note, the exception of #10. I mean, what politician DOESN’T lie?
November 13th, 2006 at 9:12 pm
It is rare that I agree with anyone, let alone someone on the intertubes, but I just had to say thanks for the insightful article.
I agree with everything on it with all of my being. Sincere thanks for spreading the word!
November 13th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
Name a successful society which didn’t have jobs. Fact is people have cooperated for common goals (even subverting short-term gains in the process) throughout human history. That this cooperating is now mediated by HR departments rather than shamans or slace-drivers is in my opinion a good thing (less sexual harassment in the workplace for example).
November 13th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
[…] 10 Things I Wish I Had Never Believed–steve-olson.com (tags: lifehacks advice life productivity blogs success business) […]
November 13th, 2006 at 10:43 pm
Jim says: There seems to be a level of elitism amongst the ‘educated’ class (at least around here) who look down on those who haven’t gotten that degree… I dunno, maybe the situation is better in larger urban areas where jobs are more plentiful and there is more competition for workers???
Nope - Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill-RTP, NC - home to 3 nationally known Univerisities - VERY HARD for those of us sans degree to insert ourselves into the professional world. I’ve been out of work for nine months. After applying for one position, I had someone from a company telephone me and lecture me for 15 minutes on why my not having a degree pretty much invalidated me as a hard-working intelligent dedicated professional regardless of experience or skills.
Good luck - the elitism blinds those employers that look at the paper and not the individual and their accomplishments and trust me - you do not want to work for people like that or you will be one of the statistics on #2. Lobo is right - the best thing about a college degree nowadays is that it gives you a choice.
The rest of this list is spot on; however, I agree with Joel on the age. At a younger age, I would have taken something like this list to heart, rebelled and lived a hedonistic lifestyle never to have learned a damn thing. This list is certainly not black and white - lots of gray. The best thing I can say about this list? It reeks of experience and maturity and that is good in the long run while perhaps getting there incurred lots of angst.
November 13th, 2006 at 11:01 pm
Wow, I must be lucky or something. My parents taught me the first 9 were wrong since I was too small to fully understand what they meant. They still believe #10 though. I know better. I would add #11 though… “Democrats are liberals”. That hasn’t been true in over a century. Nothing is more conservative or pessimistic than a socialist and that’s all the Democratic party is anymore, a band of socialists. Refer to your #7 for loads of evidence.
I guess that means both parties suck.
November 14th, 2006 at 12:36 am
I can honestly say that I never believed any of these. I’ve believed other nonsense theorems, promises and myths though.
November 14th, 2006 at 2:08 am
Self-help movement is worth more than $8.5 billion U.S. just in U.S.A. It is a very good business but there is not much more beyond that.
November 14th, 2006 at 3:16 am
Hi,
Very good rant, against what,actually: a form of society and education. Sure.
When you’re at it, why don’t you go the long way and add a 11th point which is: religion. If you wish more self-confidence, more decisions of yourself, which I agree much, why not make like
the first free frenchmen, like … 300 years ago, and drop religion dead and let no more (whether a writer 1950 something years ago or a priest of today) dictate the way you have to act.
Most Europeans understood it by now and, be reassured, we don’t live in a moraleless jungle: there can be an atheic morale, driven by values of the republic and democracy !
Good luck in your further efforts.
PS: by the way, thanks for kicking the Reps out ! The world had their eyes on you the same way the Bush-gov. has their (evil) influence on the world !
November 14th, 2006 at 4:22 am
[…] 43f Links for Tuesday, November 14th 10 Things I Wish I Had Never Believed–steve-olson.com “So if you are getting lousy results in your life, it’s probably because of the decisions you are making.” (tagged: tips self-help lessong) Apple Matters | Zune Marketplace’s Absurd Pricing Scheme “In effect, Microsoft has created a store that only accepts gift cards as the valid method of payments. “ (tagged: pricing zune microsoft) Microsoft’s Zune to Give iPod Its Most Serious Challenge Yet | theledger.com “The wireless music-sharing feature on the Zune is heavily compromised in a way that is bound to annoy the very audience it is targeting.” (tagged: meh apple microsoft ipod zune) Ask Dethroner: How Do I Wear Cologne? at Dethroner “Personally, I think a cologne should only be smelled by someone who is in very close proximity. It’s a whisper, not a trumpet.” (tagged: scents personal cologne) Like Clockwork: Hour of Delay, Hour of Flight - washingtonpost.com “The flight had the nation’s worst on-time performance in September, arriving late 100 percent of the time…” via:obscurestore.com (tagged: via:obscurestore.com travel flying) […]
November 14th, 2006 at 4:45 am
Great list! Thanks!
11. Staying together (in a bad relationship) “for the kids” is a good thing.
By the way, for a brilliant, totally tranformational take on money, how it affects us and what’s possible in transforming our relationship to money, check out Lynne Twist’s brilliant book, “The Soul of Money.”
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393050971/bookstorenow57-20
(It changed my life. No kidding.) (5 stars in Amazon!)
November 14th, 2006 at 5:37 am
is it the continuation of Dale Carnegie’s work? :D
November 14th, 2006 at 6:07 am
[…] Den ganzen Text findet ihr unter http://www.steve-olson.com/10-things-i-wish-i-had-never-believed/ […]
November 14th, 2006 at 6:49 am
[…] 2. Money. Ah…good old money. People start new businesses to make money. Many people think they can make more money as entrepreneurs. I just came across a great blog by Steve Olson. In a recent post 10 Things I Wish I Had Never Believed he writes: Getting a good job is the best way to earn money Ask any entrepreneur if she’d like to quit and get a job. Then ask most people with a job if they’d like to quit and work for themselves. Most wealthy people will tell you a job is the worst way to make money. […]
November 14th, 2006 at 6:55 am
It’s a good list.
November 14th, 2006 at 7:31 am
[…] 10 Things I Wish I Had Never Believed - Steve-Olson.com […]
November 14th, 2006 at 8:03 am
Please understand this is my own personal opinion only and I’m not imposing anything on anybody.
On your post:
WOW!!!
Very shallow analogies and oh, so basic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not calling you stupid or trying to make you feel bad - it’s up to you how you discern this information but, I am a very honest girl and I don’t like to conform to what might sound like the right kind of answer. In my opinion, that’s exactly what you did here. Well, in response to your beliefs:
1. Why would you ever think that money is the root of all evil?
-Evil is developed through several factors, phsychological needs, influences, tendencies, the make-up of your brain, the kind of support system you have, your past experiences and many others. It’s different for each and every single person.
2. Getting a good job is the best way to earn money? You actually believed that? Since I was a little girl, I’ve been observing carefully the world around me. I’ve seen, just like everybody else, people succeed and fail in both systems. So, I learned from that. The fact that getting a job sounds less risky for people, it doesn’t mean that’s the answer. It all depends and the world is in constant change which we must adapt to. There is no set of rules here that apply the same to everybody.
3. Emotional people can be very vulnerable but so can be the unemotional people. It depends on the circumstances and the environment. Anybody, and I mean, anybody can get in a vulnerable state if their perceived and/or actual needs are not being met.
4. Fearing mistakes is a weakness? No. It’s a human emotion that we ALL have. It’s that little bit of fear that physiologically gets you going to get stuff done as good as possible. Yes, there’ll probably be mistakes or maybe not, but we all know that. Fearing mistakes is healthy. Obsession about that fear which impairs your ability to be productive isn’t.
5. Having an education IS very important in life. The problem here is that educated people are usually not happy with their choices which were highly influenced by their environment - again. You can’t just visualize something and it will come true - it’s not that simple. You need to work very hard at educating yourself on what it is you need to know to accomplish your dreams. I’m not just talking about College Education, I’m talking about every single aspect of your life that needs improvement. And yes, one can do that without a degree but, going to school provides with many benefits that us, as human being, benefit from in the long run - even if you don’t become wealthy from it you can be happy and content.
Gotta go now…will finish the last 5 later today.
Have a wonderful day everyone!!!
Diana Chance
November 14th, 2006 at 8:10 am
(8) It seems like you just shift your negative preconceptions from self help gurus to “left-wing hippies”. Most of the “left-wing hippy” types that I know are clean cut, positive thinking, deeply spiritual, but not necessarily wealthy. The most liberal guy I know goes to church 6 times a week, and he’s never done drugs.
I might as well just say that most people think of self help gurus as being all right-wing types, with their Brooks Brothers suits, and their SUVs, and with the being all greedy, and going out on the weekend and shooting animals all over the country side with automatic weapons.
Your stereotype slinging really doesn’t do anything for your argument.
November 14th, 2006 at 9:13 am
[…] Steve Olsen has a great summary of things that have been told or teached us over the years, and which we find out to be not true very late in the game (if we are unlucky). A good read and time for some self-reflection which is true for yourself and what ist not. At least I believed in more than 50% of them myself - and in some until I read Steve’s post Check out ‘10 Things I Wish I Had Never Believed‘. Filed under Personal Development. […]
November 14th, 2006 at 9:19 am
In #8 you make fun of atheists. Whats wrong with being an atheist? As a patriotic American I have every right to not believe in God as I do to believe in God. A lot of smart believe who adhere to your 10 points are atheists and some people believe nearly 20% of Americans are atheists (source: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,71985-0.html).
November 14th, 2006 at 9:45 am
> People looked down on you if you wanted to achieve wealth.
That is pointing at the _correct_ meaning of the correct quote. It is not that having money is the root of evil, it is _wanting_ money that is the root of evil.
Likely what you were really encountering in the working class subculture was envy, as everyone who seemed to have more money was the subject of the stereotype. For those who had less money, the envy doesn’t apply. In the absence of the stereotype, there is the air of piety regardless of the person’s actual desire for money (or lack thereof).
November 14th, 2006 at 9:57 am
think you should look into that doctors and google story a bit more. The study seems to indicate that doctors can use google to diagnose illness. I don’t think anyone actually said that a lay person could use google to diagnose themselves.
November 14th, 2006 at 10:14 am
#9 is - WOW. I do wish we’d learn to listen to our *feelings* (not just hysterical emotions, which so often come from ego - but *gut feelings*) more often. This is sooooo true and a lesson I wish I had learned earlier.
November 14th, 2006 at 10:34 am
There are certainly many ways to learn and many stories of successful people who famously did not attend or dropped out of higher education. But for my time and money, there is no better way than immersion into an environment where you guided by industry experts through an exchange of ideas (learning is a two way conversation), a review of existing body of knowledge (why try to start from nothing?), and challenged to improve that body of knowledge (don’t just accept what you are taught, but challenge it as well).
That is what I get from the college experience and why I will continue to leverage the wealth of intellectual challenge, professional networking resources, and social connections offered by universities.
November 14th, 2006 at 10:36 am
… yet I do still agree with your main point. I agree that a college degree is certainly not required in order to be successful.
November 14th, 2006 at 10:47 am
I have to comment on two of the responses:
First, the idea that the love of money is the root of all evil. I don’t agree. That idea will cause a lot of good people to feel guilty because they do love money. I love money. I believe it is the most useful tool ever devised. I love it even more than my power tools.
The evil is the belief in the zero sum game and the belief in scarcity. It is the belief that to have money, I must take it from someone. It is the belief that if I don’t have money something awful will happen.
The second rebuttal is about the comment: Most people don’t have time to home school their kids and they can’t do nearly as well as a “professional”. Unless you are a professional protecting your turf, I suggest you do a little research. You will find out that the professionals have failed your chilren abysmally. With only a few minutes a day you can do a better job or correct some of the damage if your children must stay in school.
November 14th, 2006 at 11:44 am
Interesting thoughts and comments. One area is missing, however, and deserves inclusion.
I am 77 and consider myself average to above average as a former Navy fighter pilot, pathologist, golfer, tennis player, investor, and father. In one area I consider myself to be “world class” i.e. a world class husband.
The adages that I have adhered to are:
If a man has enough horse sense to treat his wife as a thoroughbred, she won’t turn into an old nag.
The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.
Of course it helps to marry a wonderful woman.
I envy no man.
November 14th, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Re: #10: You’re partly right, but I suspect the larger plan is to reduce the size of government over the long term by bankrupting the system. That way they can blame the Democrats now that they have taken control of congress.
November 14th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
It’s strange how you equate atheism to evil in #8. Maybe another thing that was drilled into your head until you believed it ?
I’d just add another item for you: prejudice.
November 14th, 2006 at 3:39 pm
My #11 is “Believe what you read.”
The kerfluffle over 1 Timothy 6:10 is nicely illustrative here; many people seem to be arguing from what someone else said that Paul said - isn’t that what a translation is, after all? Paul’s Greek text to Timothy reads thus (Romanized; “w” for omega, “h” for eta): “riza gar pantwn twn kakwn estin h filarguria”. Literally translated, this reads “For a root of all of the evils is the love of money” - where “filarguria” can also be read as “avarice” or “covetousness”, and “riza” can be read as “foundation” or “origin”. “All kinds of evil” is a poor choice here given what we mean these days when we say “all kinds of [whatever]” - that is, “lots and lots of [whatever]”; it really does, here, mean all kinds, which is to say “every kind”. (”Pas”, of which “pantwn” is a form - the genitive plural - means “all, whole, entire”.)
(This sets aside the issue of whether I agree with Paul here; I don’t. There’s an awful lot of evil in the world that has nothing to do with the love of money. But I digress; the lesson here is that the first question ought to be not “do I agree or disagree with this?” but “do I understand this, with which I’m meant to be agreeing or disagreeing?”.)
November 14th, 2006 at 5:25 pm
[…] 10 Things I Wish I Had Never Believed | steve-olson.com (tags: personalgrowth life psychology work thinking to-read) […]
November 14th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
#6 An Australian study found that 50% of all Google based diagnoses are wrong (when a doctor only uses Google to diagnose, can you imagine what it would be for lay-people?). The other problem with internet diagnoses is how quickly they can lead to hypochondria (which in itself is a psychiatric condition, look under somato-form disorders in the DSM-IV-TR).
November 15th, 2006 at 8:21 am
[…] 10 Things I Wish I Had Never Believed | steve-olson.com (tags: life advice) […]
November 15th, 2006 at 8:28 am
You lack real fact for number 10.
November 15th, 2006 at 10:00 am
Dunno who said this, but it’s so true:
“He who is best off is not he who has the most, but he who requires the least”.
November 15th, 2006 at 11:13 am
I just want to say thanks! You are certainly a very wise person… I’m passing this on to all i know so that they too may benefit from what you ahve to say!
November 15th, 2006 at 11:32 am
About the degrees, i agree that they mean nothing. Just because someone has a degree doesn’t mean they know any of the material they learned. Even if they passed the tests how many college students do you know who constantly find ways to cheat or get “help” with their homework or tests. Also, have you ever seen a degree or diploma of someone’s with the GPA they graduated with printed on it? No, but they have the degree and that is why people think that these people are so helpful.
November 15th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
The thing about doctors misdiagnosing people is sadly true. my grandmother went to her doc with a bad rash all over her body, so bad it was bleeding, and was told it was Shingles. She went around for 6 months believing this was what she had and it made her feel dirty and like she was some kind of leper. She went to another doctor later only to find out that it WASNT Shingles, but just an allergic reaction to one of her medications. What do these doctors got to school for 10 years for if they cant properly diagnose someone?! Apparently college and a degree doesnt always make some people smarter or good at what they do for a living. What a crackpot he was, he should lose his license. He was treating her for something she never even had and just shoving more meds down her throat to make his money and to get her out of his office. How could it never occur to him that this might be an allergy to one of the too many meds she was already taking? I guess he didnt feel it was worth his time to find out which one was the problem before assuming it was something else.
November 15th, 2006 at 1:14 pm
I must say I would have to agree with most of what you said, except for a few things.
For one - and maybe Im totally misinterpreting you on this - but I think that being too emotional is very destructive and will only lead to acting on impulse, but I also think that being too logical will lead to inaction, so the key is balance, that one word which everyone always says but few really know the meaning of.
Secondly, the whole self-help thing - there are too many people who seek self-help as a kind of cure all, a silver bullet for all of their problems, and they just end up becoming addicted to things like that. They completely give up on trying to solve problems for themselves and just expect the “gurus” to do everything.
As for education, I agree wholeheartedly that our education system is completely out of whack. I also think that education is the root of a functional society. I think most people agree with that notion, but the response of most people is to just throw money at it until all the problems just magically go away. What we need to do is change the way it works as a whole - rewrite the system: the curriculum, the management, everything about it, because the end result of all that money being thrown at the school system is a bunch of kids doing the same old busy work on antique mahogany tables with solid gold pencils.
Finally, on the topic of Republicans, I am not a republican, but I know that the republicans are for shrinking the government. George Bush is not a Republican. He probably doesnt even know what the word means! Did you ever wonder why he calls himself a “Neocon”? Its because he cant call himself a real conservative. Seriously, look at the word CONSERVATIVE. the root there is conserve, as in conserve money, as in spend less, as in shrink the government. Sure, its fun and trendy to blame everything on Republicans and Conservatives, but really, learn who youre slamming before you just blindly lash out. The reason the party is so f***ed up recently is because people have forgotten what the words themselves mean. That goes for all political parties, not just the right wing. I, personally am of no political party, because I believe that they all have their heads up their asses.
November 15th, 2006 at 1:54 pm
I agree with most of your points but it is a tragedy that you have decided to put the blame and focus on the Republican party, moreover, Bush. That man has done great things for this country and if it weren’t for the left-wing media the rest of the country (and the world) would see that. If you did your research you would find that the Republicans (more specific Conservitaves) are for exactly what you said. Self-improvment, not relying on the government. Doing something with your life and not wasting the people who do earn money’s tax dollars on useless and parasitic social programs. So who exactly has the answer? The Democrats? THAT is the “insanity” you speak of. You will never see more hippocritical and useless ideas than those of the left. God help us all now that they run the country. So much for morals and being held accountable for your own actions. So much for focusing on progress instead of the non-stop attack on one of the better presidents of our time. So much for using your own logic and observations to guide your descion making progress instead of being just another drone listening to what Micheal Moore and MSNBC wants you to think. The Republican party is not in any sense of the word perfect but they are closer to having it right then any Democrat or liberal could ever hope to be. It’s gonna be a true tragedy when this country goes to Hell in handbasket and those who actual have the ability to think for themselves (like myself) will sadly have to say “I told you so”.
November 15th, 2006 at 3:25 pm
I’ve never, ever heard that a job is the best way to earn money. A job, for most people, is the ONLY way to earn money. Not everybody has the self-drive to own their own business, not everybody has the ideas to create their own products or services, and not everybody who does have the first two is able to get the resources to get their ideas to market. A job is the most common and lowest-risk way to earn money. But, like college, it’s not for everyone.
November 15th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
I disagree with everything youve said except for #1 and #4. I have no opinion on #8 and #10, therefore I believe most of what youve said is wrong.
No one has a job, - added by Steve Olson: I didn’t say that, read it again.
Everyone is emotional, - added by Steve Olson: I didn’t say that, read it again.
No one has a degree, - added by Steve Olson: I didn’t say that, read it again.
There are no schools, - added by Steve Olson: I kind of said that, but I was talking about the big government schools.
There are no doctors, - added by Steve Olson: I didn’t say that, read it again.
and everyone makes decisions not on what they know, not based on previous experience, not on what theyve learned but instead on how they feel inside. - edited by Steve Olson: I didn’t say that, read it again.
what a world that would be…
Look, based on laws of change in history, if there is anything wrong with society the problem is discovered, identified and solved in every possible case, eventually. Given an inordinate length of time, all problems that a society can experience will be solved through the passage of time, as it is in the nature of a species to evolve in this way. Looking at your article, I see many of your assumptions are generalizations assocated to problems in society that have long been solved. You are contradicting the way society works, especially, I repeat, with schools, doctors, degrees, jobs and logical thinking.
November 15th, 2006 at 5:59 pm
I agree with the money thing it is a tool but here’s a couple of questions,
1.How can you achieve anything without a college degree?
2.If emotions are the strength of people then how come they are surrendering to people who lie to them about helping them? Thats just being a slave to your emotions
3. If rich people are saying the job is the worst way to make money that is because it makes very little money to them, and that is because they are ENTREPRENURS they just pay for the workers, machines, their electric bill, water bill, food bill etc.
4. Doctors use the web to reaserch the diseases they don’t know about and were not trained about. And plus ins’t it true that you had a flu shot when you were a kid, and if so did it work?
5. School is how people learn from others mistakes not just your own. If we did not learn how the romans lost their empire to pegans then we would have lost to Iraq by now. PLUS how would our kids know how to read, write, learn other languages, how the government works, and the birds and the bees? Through a student’s point of view who goes to Hardford all the teachers teach their opinions not the facts, so you may be thinking of that school.
6. Common logic helps you belive what you think and some other points that are just reasonable. If you went to chuch and noticed the ten commandments the reason of why they were posted there was to control the people and put everyone in a equal state of class or where they belong. For example: thou shalt not steal- If you steal then that makes you a theif and makes others hate you. If the anti-stealing law is approved then others are equal and the person who does would be sent to prison.
7. Republican parties have a strong belief of them getting robbed from taxes by the government, that is why we have tax refund and an accountant helps you with that kind of problem. Republicans do not lie they are people who play by the rules and use facts and on the other hand some people who use bribery or corruption to have them vote for them is a crime and most democratic people are hipocrats and just don’t do anything to change the government and make up some lame excuse. “Sorry, you are wrong about that stupid statment”
November 15th, 2006 at 7:03 pm
Regarding the school thing–I am an educator and I will gladly tell you that John Taylor Gatto is mostly full of 100% crap. I am not defending the education system here in America–anyone with a brain can tell you the system is fundamentally and egregiously flawed.
However, to try and say that all teachers do is knock down their students and try and chisel away whatever makes them unique is wrong. I encourage my students to think for themselves, to question me and my motives, and I know many of my fellow teachers do as well. To assume all I teach is “confusion” because I have to hit a wide variety of topics is asinine, and the assumption that school exists ONLY to wipe out individualism and replace it with mindless consumerism is a grave injustice to the thousands of teachers who bust their butts every day and night, staying up long hours (and I mean LONG hours) trying to help the students become more than they could imagine for themselves. If all schools were like this, then how did ANY of us rise above? If all teachers did was try and convince students that their free will is irrelevant, and that knowledge is useless, then how do any of us ever evolve a brain on on our own?
What bugs me the most about this is that, if this is what he did in his class, and he was teacher of the year, then what the heck were the other teachers in New York doing? How about recognizing teachers who actually believed in their profession? How about recognizing teachers who hadn’t cashed in their optimism and started drowning in their own nihilistic , self-deprecating sludge?
If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s the endless doomsday rant of the self “enlightened” who stare at the rest of the world with an ironic smirk, convinced that every viscous lie that comes out of their mouth is a pearl of wisdom we should harbor while it festers and infects the rest of us. Get a real job, John Taylor Gatto
November 15th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
[…] 10 Things I Wish I Had Never Believed | steve-olson.com […]
November 15th, 2006 at 10:40 pm
Go Groon! The situations John Taylor Gatto puts forward as representative of the country’s public school system as whole are at once ridiculous exaggerations and simplifications designed to set up a scenario where Gatto can appear to be the righteous rebel. The staff at the public school that my kid attends (Douglas County School District, Colorado) absolutely do not work their buts off in order “to supply a mass-production economy with a docile workforce, … ask too little of children, and thereby drain youngsters of curiosity and autonomy.” (Fast Company article about Gatto). Just the opposite. The staff at our school go above and beyond to reward curiosity and expect autonomy. Kids in this grade school are expected to make decisions, to work independently, to be creative and perform work and projects with guidance –but not specific directions – from parents and teachers.
November 16th, 2006 at 8:52 am
#1 fails a simple logic test.
Premise: Money is the root of all evil.
Fact: You can do good with money
Fact: You can do evil with money
Fact #1 does not fail the premise. The mere fact that fact #1 is true does not mean that the premise fails.
All evil has at its roots the desire for money. That some good also has at its root, money, does not change this fact.
November 16th, 2006 at 8:55 am
#2 fails a simple logic test:
Your Premise: A good job is not the best way to earn money
Fact: Good jobs earn money
Fact: Entrepreneur’s have a “better way” to earn money
This is to suggest that being an entrepreneur ISN’T A JOB … but it is. The fact that you work for yourself doesn’t mean you don’t have a job.
November 16th, 2006 at 8:58 am
The best way to earn money appears to be to have a website where you tell people what fools they are for having jobs, instead of internet scams, and then another website, where you direct people to the first website (ad infinitum) and you have your friend Will over at MSNBC’s CLICKED direct people over to these sites day after day after day (ad infinitum) … so that your impressions go up, and you get more money for your Google adsense ads.
I guess a lot of people are falling for this.
Sort of makes me wonder if you and Will are in on it together, or whether these sites are, in fact, owned by Will over at Clicked.
November 16th, 2006 at 10:11 am
@ Groon:
If you disagree with John Taylor Gatto, refute his points.
Especially in regards to school sequences and indifference.
School Sequences:
At a university level, the main difference between texts from one year to the next is the order in which the chapters are printed, and the order in which the homework questions are printed.
Different editions are constantly printed in an effort to milk more money from students, by falsely claiming that students cannot use texts from previous years, when the only realistic difference between the books is the page number.
This random shuffling of the order of presentation of information also highlights the lack of importance placed on the logical flow of information, and consequently many professors do not teach chapters in the same order they are presented in the books.
In terms of elementary school, often the only connection between lessons is a 5 minute review of the past class at the beginning of the lesson.
Sometimes classes overlap, filling up more than one timeslot, but far too often there is no overall theme uniting lessons, other than the general subject which is being taught.
Indifference:
“But when the bell rings I insist that they stop whatever it is that we’ve been working on and proceed quickly to the next work station.”
In university, courses will be given an appropriate amount of time to complete the day’s task in, but in elementary school, lessons often have to be crafted for timeslots that are simply too short.
As JTG rightly says, it is often the case that students become interested in a topic, but must quickly forget their interest (and questions) and move on to the next class. More often than not, students will either not remember their interest/questions by the time they get home, or simply won’t care anymore.
It should come as no surprise that this is the same system we use for the working class. If you have finished your tasks for the day, find an additional task to kill the rest of your shift. But no matter what you are doing when your shift ends, drop it; your boss does not want to pay you overtime.
The link, if you didn’t read it: http://hometown.aol.com/tma68/7lesson.htm
November 16th, 2006 at 11:05 am
Point #5 - Explain this to kids who live in a generational poverty situation - ONLY through EDUCATION and PERSERVERANCE can this cycle be broken. Education is power, and with power is the ability to choose what type of life you want to create for yourself.
Point #10 - Growing the government is something that cannot be helped especially during war, recession - anything else would have left us in a huge depression. America experienced the same type of government during WWII and was able to recover and stay strong.
Although we may not be able to see the benefits of what the Iraq war has accomplished - history will tell the true story years from now.
I am sure a lot of people had a hard time seeing the benefits of fighting against Hitler during WWII - but today there is no doubt the good it accomplished. Hopefully people will understand the importance of removing Saddam Hussein from power - too bad we can’t ask the people in the mass graves to give us their view.
November 16th, 2006 at 11:59 am
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November 16th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
Although Mr. Jingles decided to attack from the right, I have to agree with his base assessment. I read this blog and thought it made some excellent points, but was sullied by the decision of the author to push a particular political agenda. This would have been far more powerful without injecting that sort of rhetoric.
November 16th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
Previous post: “have you ever seen a degree or diploma of someone’s with the GPA they graduated with printed on it?”
Yeah, mine. In effect. It has “summa cum laude” printed on it. For the non-college-educated out there, that translates to a GPA of 4.00 (all A’s).
November 16th, 2006 at 8:00 pm
Fish:
I really didn’t want to get too far into it–I didn’t feel that this was an appropriate space to do so. But to respond to something you mentioned very quickly.
The fact that at some point a lesson has to end and a new one has to take its place does not automatically lead to a disinterest in learning. That is a false cause-effect premise. A teacher who plans the lesson right is able to do his/her best to fit the timeslot available. This doesn’t mean that all questions and points are finished by the time the class is over, but that the lesson objective for the day is complete. If the students have more questions or are interested, great! But the fact that they have to go to some other topic after that doesn’t mean that they will lose that interest. I encourage my students to find out more after class on their own. I start out the next day answering whatever questions they might have about previously discussed material. If they show an interest in something, I will try to bring in more material to supplement their interest. But even then, the fact that I have moved on to something else doesn’t send the message that they shouldn’t care about it in the first place. It only says it’s time to move onto something else. Heck, one of my goals in class is to get them to care enough about somethign to FINALLY do something on their own about it outside of school!
And even though the stories we read and the activities we do aren’t all “connected” by a common thread, plot, or theme, this doesn’t mean that the kids are too stupid to make connections on their own. It doesn’t mean that they can’t start to make the big picture for themselves. I help them, but just because I talk about Poe one week, and Anne Frank the next, it doesn’t mean it confuses them. My students are able to have a conversation amongst themselves with four different topics going on at once, and JTG’s trying to tell me they are incapable of handling two different stories on two separate days? Please.
Okay, so it wasn’t so quick. :-)
November 16th, 2006 at 10:05 pm
[…] I’ve been finding things to read from reddit a lot lately. Today I came across a link to someone’s blog entry titled “10 things i wish i had never believed”. I enjoyed the post so much that I’ve decided to write my own take on the same 10 items. […]
November 17th, 2006 at 1:04 am
I have — delivered a baby, rescued a person from a burning car-wreck, flown and landed an aircraft ‘cross-country, programmed NASA computers, particpated in a cutting-edge astronomical research team, taught business for a major university, played music in front of a grand total of maybe a half-million people, sailed a schooner, ended a major war,
ridden thousands of miles on motocross motorcycles, been a published poet, made a pretty good CD, been broadcast internationally, hosted my own TV show, written magazine articles, created and marketed musical softwares, jammed with some of the greatest musicians in country, rock, and folk, tried skydiving, climbed mountains, run two presidential campaign offices, written legislation, and published a novel — all without a college degree. That’s a partial list and I’m still “rockin”. I’m not at all wealthy, granted, but I haven’t needed that either. A college education is priceless (and very expensive!). A batchelor’s degree is a licence to work in an office. Stay in school — but don’t ever drop out of life, either.
November 17th, 2006 at 1:56 pm
I was lucky enough that my parents did teach me all of these lessons. I’m only 18 years old, and I know that my circumstances growing up are very unique in that my parents are very intelligent, very independent, self-sufficent, driven, while also having a good grip on what’s most important in life and teaching my brothers and I how to maintain good relationships.
My father opened his own business and it’s something I’m seriously considering as well. I’m also considering teaching because I’ve had great teachers that use the system to overcome public education shortcomings. Plus, teaching - if you’re good at it and it’s something you love - is a sort of investment that isn’t monetary. I’m also looking into mechanical engineering. At first I was unsure about it, but after reading about the benefits of intellectual property, I’m sure mechanical engineering would be a great investment.
I will say that, although, a college degree is not necessary, it is very helpful. My dad had never graduated HS or earned a college degree. Though he was intelligent and was great at making money, he needed someone with a degree to help him get the business started - that’s where his partner (who had a entreprenurial degree) came in. A college degree, like money, is a tool that enables you to reach higher goals, but without reativity, drive, and knowledge, someone could have 10 PhDs and not accomplish anything (for example: professional students).
November 17th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
I am very disappointed in quite a few things here. It was well written, but a few of the comments are extremely dangerous.
1. Arguing the literal interpretation of this is rather passe’. I’m sure there are a few literalists out there that this would help, but for the most part this is understood.
2. While this is a fine, possibly even good, point, any of the literalists helped by #1 now find themselves panhandling in the street.
3. Here you have simplified things to the point of danger. Sure emotions can strengthened people if properly harnessed, but you are nearly advocating 2nd degree murder! Emotions are the gateway to the Id, and are selfserving. Understand your emotions. Think about what you are feeling and why. They can open the door to new ideas. They can also hurt everyone around you. Hate crimes are emotional. Adultry is emotional. Think about why you feel what you feel and learn from it, but keep them controlled.
4. I agree whole-heartedly with this point. But, it contradicts #3. Fear is an instinctually emotional response.
5. Again, a very good point.
6. This will drive people to try to diagnose themselves with a simple google search. What happens when you can’t get the drugs the web community says you need because your doctor disagrees? Wholistic medicine? Illegal drugs?
7. For avoiding political opinions, this is a rather political statement. How would you like children to learn? I’m not trying to be accusitory with this question, I would just like to see your non-political answer.
8. This helps me to make a lot of sense in the rest of your post. Self-help may not be left wing or hippyish, but majority of it is terrible to the point of harm. Most self help material tries to *correct* some eternal problem in the subject. At best, it will try to tell them how they should think, at worst it can destroy their self esteem by telling them that they are broken and wrong. Some self help may be able to do some good for some people, but it is useless or harmful for most. I fell you are trying to minipulate people with problems in their life. This is nothing more than a shameful plug for your own products, as subtle as it is.
9. This is nothing more than a reiteration of point 3. It sure would feel good to buy a 300″ plasma TV. It would also feel good to stop going to work and play video games 18 hours a day. It would feel great to eat ice cream for every meal. Everyone gets road rage. It’s only by controlling our emotions that we don’t react inappropriately. What are your feelings on people who rear-end the guy who just cut him off. Is that response an emotional one? Rationally, I would think about the damage done to my own vehicle, the possibility of punishment, and the causality of additional drivers being hurt by my actions. Emotionally, I would feel justified and retrobution would be the immediate course. Or, do you not ever get angry?
10. While you may have editted out some overt political statement that I haven’t seen, I think your politics still ring out in a few of these. Might want to give it another look-over to make this legitimate.
November 17th, 2006 at 5:31 pm
[…] Back to how I started this blog. I’ve never really had a blog before. Sure, I already have a website (yes, I am also a video game dork), and a MySpace page, but never a real honest to goodness blog. The reason I started this page is actually thanks to someone else who I’ve never met. I was linked to this post on Steve Olson’s blog, then linked to this at Steve Pavlina’s great blog. I know what you’re thinking by now - this guy is starting a blog to make money. Well, no. I’m starting a blog to get my thoughts out there to see if anyone wants to hear them. I feel like I learn so many lessons every day that I can pass along. I’m also a cynical asshole sometimes, and want to share that. It’s just that I’ve never created my little piece of real estate on the web that is “blog” because I figured, who the hell would want to hear me? No way to find out until I try. And I really do have some good things to say, trust me! […]
November 17th, 2006 at 7:30 pm
Correct, inspirational, and ahead of times.
November 18th, 2006 at 8:21 pm
Can you help me find some information about debating ?
The topic is “Is the college degree the most important thing to find a job?”
November 18th, 2006 at 8:26 pm
The second topic is “Pollution in one country is the responsibility of the world ,yes or not ? And why?”
November 18th, 2006 at 8:35 pm
From the book “A Page a Day” by Ken Adams, a book full of things I wish I knew earlier.
WEALTH
Wealth denotes welfare, and labor is the basis of all wealth. Of all human endeavors, constructive thinking is the most valuable. All wealth springs from thought, and a constructive thinker is worth more than either a capitalist or the laborer, yet together they create the greatest wealth.
Good sense is the greatest form of wealth. The greatest privilege of wealth is the ability to make others happy. The True wealth of any nation is its educated citizens.
To acquire honest wealth in money requires hard work, shrewd transactions, and thrifty management; trying to keep it gives rise to fear; and to lose it causes grief.
Abundance is a blessing, but riches in a fool’s pocket are a curse. Instead of supplying wants, it creates more wants. The only way to take wealth beyond the grave is to convert it into good deeds. The only worthwhile use of wealth is wise application of it. Money after all is only a tool. It can build nothing if locked inside a box.
November 22nd, 2006 at 2:47 pm
Birdie nice comment about republicans. Couldn’t be more true.
Steve and Austin, get over yourselves. Not everyone is a biblethumping weirdo who can recite direct quotes, especially if they have anything resembling a REAL life.
Geldon, she never said college is not the best way to money, she said success. Vastly different things with no ven diagram common ground. And most teachers are not professionals unless they teach college and even then it is debatable if they are a better choise than self teaching.
ToasTeh, people who can not be responsible for their own offspring should not have them, period. If you are not competent to teach your children important things about life, you should not have them and teachers are a dismal substitute.
Joel, what is dangerous for a teenager about these points is not that they might not be ready for them, its realizing that they are being lied to by the people they trust the most in life.
Cyber_rigger, Libertarian is not equal to small government, it is equal to global destruction of civiliation. So move on, shut your mouth and open your eyes, or are your sockets empty?
James, nice point about atheists. Often the subject of undeserved scrutiny and miscategorization.
MEP, Democrats and not all or always socialists. Though anyone who wants to be that involved in politics should probably take a step back and see the big picture…..that nothing will ever REALLY change.
Bill, don’t lie to yourself or anyone else. Staying in a bad relationship is NEVER and good thing. Especially when there are kids involved. They should not have to grow up with that as their model for what relationships should be like. But here is a tip for (well for more women than men) everyone: DON’T GET IN A BAD RELATIONSHP IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!!!!
Diane Chance, your criticism of the ‘oh, so basic’ rant seems to be remarkably basic as well. Everyone claims they have ‘observed things since they were young’, really get a new line already would you, that one is tired and cliché.
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:38 am
@Meshosh:
A degree clearly also doesn’t provide innate spelling/typing capabilities. :)
RE: Politics/#10 (which I have not been able to read):
Democrats are wrong. Republicans are wrong. Independents are also wrong. But Dems/Reps [in general] have this belief that they [respectively] are right. Unfortunately, neither party stands for what they claimed at one point to stand for.
Over the past 50 years, both parties have reversed positions on some core beliefs. Neither party wants to reduce government. Neither wants to reduce regulation. Neither wants to reduce taxes/debt. They just want to move it around from one part of government to another. At least indies realize they have to work with each party to get something done.
Perhaps a restated #10 might read: All politicians are corrupt liars who compomise their values. (Hmm…was the cynical viewpoint from grade school, or from experience as a grew older and more educated???) Politics and leading a nation must be collaborative. It has to be. After all, if I vote for politician A, but B gets elected, I am *still* represented by B, and it is his obligation to listen to me, respect my views, and consider me in his decision making.
December 4th, 2006 at 8:36 am
[…] 10 Things Not to Believe - debunking some common misconceptions. […]
December 24th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
To Labyrinth Girl:
“Diane Chance, your criticism of the ‘oh, so basic’ rant seems to be remarkably basic as well. Everyone claims they have ‘observed things since they were young’, really get a new line already would you, that one is tired and cliché.”
Your statement might be true, or it might not. Depends on the person. It’s obviously true to you. Let’s go with your perspective now. This particular line you decided was sort of the main theme of my ‘oh, so basic’ criticism, is in fact a very ‘basic’ line - it’s true but, not what my statements are based on. Also, whether I choose to incorporate ‘cliches’ in my statements does not break or make my point. That depends on the reader anyhow as we all have different points of view.
I’ll tell you, if we were to ‘battle’ on who’s making basic statements, yours would definitely come first and win. Compare the 2 side by side darling - depth of thought does stand out to a person unless that person can’t understand the information yet. Follow me?
BTW, sorry everyone for misspelling Psychology! That’s going to be my Major and I couldn’t even spell it right in my previous post…Gosh! (lol).
Take care,
-Diana Chance
December 25th, 2006 at 7:13 pm
I absolutely love this. I’m going through a tough time in my life right now, and in talking to a friend of mine about it, she linked me here.
I read through this with a closed mind, thinking it was some “stupid self-help junk”. But after reading it I realized you’re right. Completely right. It opened my mind to new things, and gave me hope. I read a little of it every few days, and have linked several friends here as well.
Thank you for posting something that most people would be afraid to post. I think that most people wouldn’t make a post like this in fear of getting bad feedback on it. But you did, and I love it.
Always and All ways,
Jake
AKA: DJ FYS
January 7th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
I can’t bear to read all the comments and get mired in the left/right political thing or my head will simply explode. I just wanted to say that’s a good list, and I pretty much have righted myself of all those faulty beliefs over time as well. Good for me! :)
February 11th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Money isn’t evil, and regardless what the Bible says on the matter, love of money isn’t evil. Placing money above all else may be stupid, but I’m not sure it’s evil.
Hating oneself is probably the root of all evil.
After reading your entry about how public schools crush souls, I’m sure you know this, but society works hard to keep people level. It is an active effort to squash success since the only way to keep people level is to cut down the overachievers. There are a few good Ayn Rand books about this. One short, simple one to read is Anthem, which I highly recommend. It’s sort of a futuristic, extreme version of what you’ve noted in schools.
On a different note, I wouldn’t have discovered your blog if it weren’t for the political part. Sure, politics can be very divisive. But as you’ve stated above, you should use emotions and feelings to your advantage. This must be important since it merited two items in this list of ten.
March 27th, 2007 at 4:56 am
Oh when I was reading this it was like tick a box every time you say YES and I think I filled my boxes in. What a great article and site you have here.
April 8th, 2007 at 9:22 am
[…] 10 Things I Wish I Had Never Believed […]
April 10th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Fantastic Steve. I might just take a page from your blog and do some reflective thinking myself!
April 28th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
[…] http://www.steve-olson.com/10-things-i-wish-i-had-never-believed/ […]
April 30th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Can you please explain to me how schools teach us to think destructive thoughts? I’m currently in school, and that is most definitely not the case.
May 25th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
The Fraud of American University Accreditation
By Dominic Jermano
There is a major problem in the United States with Accreditation. They claim they are legitimate but our current social condition and results have proven how really false that is. With the most recent University massacre at Virginia Tech killing 32 innocent Students and Teachers, not to mention the many other school shootings and killings across the United States; in which I personally witnessed a student gunned down at Weber State University in Ogden Utah, is proof in my mind that Accreditation in America’s Higher Education Institutes, with just this one issue, the gun debate, has always lacked any creditability!
What is Accreditation and when did it begin? According to this site: http://www.acpe-accredit.org/edcenter/sitevisits/accreditation/overview.htm
{Definition and History:Accreditation is the public recognition awarded to universities and academic programs that meet established criteria and educational standards. Accreditation decisions are based on evaluations whose purpose is to provide a professional judgment about the quality of a university or academic program and to promote institutional improvement. In other words, accreditation’s main goals are to assure and enhance quality.
Accreditation in the United States has a long history that has developed into a voluntary system which is unique in the world. The first regional accreditation agency started in New England in 1885; the first specialized accreditation agency was founded in 1907 by the American Medical Association; and the first accreditation standards were developed in 1910 by the North Central regional accreditation agency.
Today, the Department of Education reviews all accreditation agencies every 5 years to make sure that they meet core requirements, but in all other respects, every U.S. accreditation agency is unique and free from government control in its day-to-day operations.}
Given that the Department of Education reviews Accreditation Agencies and is part of the Government goes to prove that Government does control Accreditation; despite their hypocritical claim that Agencies are free from Government control. And since the Government is employed by people who come from Accredited Universities, and those so called people are a product of Accreditation, why then all the scandals, the lies, the stealing, the murdering, and the idea that Democracy and freedom is a treasure, when in fact it has tarnished into a mass of National Trash.
The myth of Accreditation being able to give graduates its stamp of recognition is a fraud. In reality Universities merely sign a few papers, and make a payment or a bribe to an Accreditation Agency in order to give them the authority to be listed as an Accredited School. The prize is that they can get Federal money for students. The University with its broad stroke authority is left with the responsibility in providing legitimate education that should include ethical conduct and correct principals toward education. In fact Universities don’t care, because their boys are elected in Office and no one is going to challenge them if they don’t follow Accreditation guidelines.
Accreditation has no authority to enforce its standards, has no authority to tell Universities what to do, and is basically nothing but a good ole boys network with no oversite organization requirements for Accreditation Agencies to adhere to. This is how the government and military establishment forces it will on the public.
One only needs to mention the numerous scandals: Enron, Arthur Anderson, Harken Energy, WorldCom, Halliburton, Fannie Mae, Exxon, Phar-Mor, Xerox, Epicurum fund/Parmalat, AIG, Royal Dutch Shell, Compass Group, Adelphi Communications, AOL Time Warner, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CMS Energy, Duke Energy, Dynegy, Global Crossing, Homestore.com, Kmart, Merck, Mirant, Nicor Energy, Peregrine, Qwest Communications, Reliant energy, Tyco, Credit Suisse First Boston, Martha Stewart, HealthSouth Corp. And this is the small list.
And so people who do these scams are not University graduates from the so called American Accreditation System?
What a sham it is when the US Government will use Accreditation to control the schools that represents their ideas. While there is no law that schools have to be accredited; non-accredited schools are not eligible for financial aid. Their non-accreditation comes because they do not want to be controlled by the Government, and they believe in teaching things that are really creditable, while Accredited Schools prohibit such teaching. The accusation that non-accredited schools are not real schools couldn’t be more from the truth.
America’s Constitutional idolization of the gun sure has not proven guns stop wars, stops massacres, stops drive by shootings, stops domestic violence, stops bank robberies, stops police from murdering blacks, stops assassinations, of our Presidents Abe Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, John F. Kennedy, and later his brother Bobby, stops the killing of our Civil Rights Leaders Malcolm Little, also known as Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, or stops anything for that matter except the victims in their tracks.
What kind of an Education system do we have that honors the right to have guns, while claiming Accreditation authorizes them to do so while people pile up in the county morgues? Something is morally wrong with that! And let’s not forget assassination attempts to kill Presidents, Andrew Jackson, Theodore, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan.
Should we be surprised, that Accreditation began with the early big time Universities such as Columbia, Princeton, Yale and Harvard, who really got their start from trafficking opium to China, with this really being the cause to the start of WWI which proceeded to WWII? Accreditation in America is to authorize the legal right to be crooks, drug dealers, and murders. It is far from being an Accreditation that is honorable and ethical.
Instead Accreditation means to educate from a hypocritical point of view, instead of recognizing that there is a right way and a wrong way. In America freedom is the elixir in which getting away with doing bad is OK, while doing good is boring and humdrum.
Our Government leaders are as incompetent, and they are suppose to hold the letter of the law and bar of that legitimacy, since they are products from those so called Accredited Institutions.
There is a huge list of so called graduates from Accredited Universities who have broken the law, broken their own rules to infringe upon the American people.
Donald Rumsfeld resigns for his bungling of the Iraq War and his torture authorizations at AbuGhrab Prison in Iraq , Paul Wolfowitz resigns as President of World Bank for giving his girl friend a raise from the World Bank after she was assigned to work at the State Department. He stole money claiming she still worked at the bank., Jack Abramoff - Pled Guilty - Sentenced to Minimum of 5 Years, 10 Months, Claude Allen- Arrested for Theft - Pled Guilt, Richard A. Berglund - Pled Guilty - Sentencing to One Year of Probation and Fined $2,500, Ed Buckham - Named by Prosecutors as Unindicted Coconspirator, Lester M. Crawford - Pled Guilty - Sentenced to Three Years Probation and Fined $90,000, Duke Cunningham - Pled Guilty - Sentenced to 8 years, 4 months incarceration, Tom DeLay - Indicted - Trial Pending Appeals Decision, Brian J. Doyle - Pled No Contest - Sentenced to Five Years in Jail, Kyle “Dusty” Foggo - Indicted - Trial Pending Appeals Decision, Robert Fromm - Named by Prosecutors as Unindicted Coconspirator, Shaun Hansen - Pled Guilty - Sentencing Scheduled for April, Vernon Jackson - Pled Guilty - Sentenced to Seven Years, Three Months in Prison, Representative William Jefferson (D-LA) is being investigated for bribery, wire fraud, bribery of a foreign official and conspiracy to bribe foreign officials, according to a May 21, 2006, Adam Kidan - Pled Guilty - Sentenced to 5 Years, 10 Months, Thomas Kontogiannis - Named by Prosecutors as Unindicted Coconspirator, Scooter Libby - Convicted- Sentencing Set For June 5, 2007, Chuck McGee - Pled Guilty - Time Served, John T. Michael - Named by Prosecutors as Unindicted Coconspirator, Bob Ney - Pled Guilty - Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison, Brent M. Pfeffer - Pled Guilty - Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison, Allen Raymond - Pled Guilty - Time Served, Tony Rudy - Pled Guilty - Status Conference Scheduled for August 3rd, David Safavian - Convicted - Sentenced to 18 Months, Michael Scanlon - Pled Guilty - Status Conference Scheduled for June 5th, Roger Stillwell – Pled Guilty – Sentenced to Two Years Probation and Fined $1,000, James Tobin - Found Guilty on Two Counts - Pending Appeals Decision, Neil Volz - Pled Guilty - Status Conference Scheduled for April 26th, Mitchell Wade - Pled Guilty - Status Conference Scheduled for September 10, 2007, Brent Wilkes - Indicted- Trials Pending Appeals Decision.
It is such a disgrace to think these government officials have committed these acts, while bigger fish are still being reeled in namely Dick Cheney, George Bush, Marvin Bush, Colin Powell, and Condoleezza Rice, Rudy Guiliani, Larry Silverstein, Andrew Card, Donald Rumsfeld, William Kristol, Douglas Feith, and others who are connected to this organized crime administration.
There is a huge divide in the American culture, in which many who authorize the Accreditation are supported by the Government Agencies in the US that represent the Republican Party, or Military Establishment. And then there are the anti-war people, who normally are non-military supported by the Democratic Party. Many people disagree with the military establishment. And many Democrats also support the Military despite having a divided tent of votes in their party.
Many of the Universities support the military establishment because they promise them money. And how they get their money is by raising student tuition fees. Many very good students do not attend the Universities afraid their money is going for bombs to kill people. Tuition profits are used to support the military, along with appropriation bills from Congress for higher indebtedness.
Republicans will give you a tax cut in one hand and load up the debt in the other. In reality you don’t get a tax cut, you get a long term financial burden. So much for their taxing lies! Am I Right? Of course!
In 2003 a sudden change in eligibility for Pell Grants was announced by the Department of Education. It would cut some 90,000 students from the rolls of recipients and affect more than 1 million others. The timing of the War was just underway, so it is obvious where the money went. And since the money was cut, how do students get to pay their tuitions?
They have to borrow the money.
With the crunching for money for the War several Federal Government Officials are now under the scope in a developing investigation into the $85 billion-a-year college Student Loan Industry.
A handful of major Universities have suspended top Financial Aid Officials as the investigation continues by the Office of New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. The investigation now has linked a current Education Department Official with stock holdings in a leading student loan company.
Matteo Fontana, the General Manager of the National Student Loan Data System, a Central Database for Student Aid, including the Federal Direct Loan Program and Pell Grants has been linked to banks with ties to Corporate America that support the Military establishment. As these hotshot Financial Aid Officials trade loans for profits to support the War, students are caught holding the bag, because they were cut from the rolls in receiving Pell Grants, and they have to pay the higher interest on the loans because of the constant upward movement in University tuition fees.
How does Accreditation protect the rights of students to attend and pay for College, while they are being ripped off by the Government in schemes that hide their tracks in supporting the military? In fact it was a lie about going to War, exposing Valerie Plame when her husband proved Iraq’s Saddam was not buying Yellow Cake Uranium from Niger.
You find a lot of propaganda that claim Big Universities turn down many applicants who wanted to attend their Institutes. In fact it is a lie. They create articles like this to build a false prestige in the world making people believe they are highly sought after when in fact they probably get less than average enrollment numbers. But they think their propaganda letters keep them in the game.
I really think those Accredited Schools are frauds and liars from the get go. I have more trust that so called Non-Recognized Universities have more legitimacy than the Accredited Universities in the States.
Consider the fact that I spend all that money in loans to get a degree to have to put up with drunken dorm parties that seem to go on endlessly, throughout the week, with drug users, and sex as the main course subject.
Then to simply go to class, is a form of entertainment for a few laughs. To my ignorant surprise I discover I have a rowdy roommate who will steal my personal things like soap, clothes, and money is not enough. But then to take my work, to steal from me so they get my credit!
What&