19 What Can You Do to Improve Where You Are?

 I know that his is a difficult topic. It involves equality or lack there of and in some cases unfortunately, discrimination. Obviously social and personal responsibility is a huge part of the equation but what part do they play? There are so many ways this topic can be discussed and it can get heated.

 I personally do not believe that my success is anyone's responsibility but my own. I did not choose to become a doctor or lawyer or real estate baron. I chose the ski industry. I chose to  ski 100 plus days a year, to continue to learn new skills, work hard, take advantage of opportunities and do what I could to improve where I was to make a better future for myself and my family. By definition I am a white male of privilege but I have worked for what I have done in my life and not always taken what was laid out for me.

 Education I believe is the foundation of my success. I learned that it was important and that it could get you further in life if it was embraced. I haven't always accepted that but it has taken me further than I even thought I could go. I feel that I saw myself as human capital and that improving my skills and knowledge would increase my value and it has.

 In my chapter 17 blog I wrote an interesting paragraph about Rawling the baseball supplier to the Major Leagues. Rawling produces baseballs in a Central America factory in Costa Rica where workers are paid $1.60 an hour working 10 hrs a day hand stitching baseballs for professional baseball players who's average annual salary is $3 million. If that isn't an imbalance of earnings I don't know what is. In that article they mentioned a women who has worked in the factory for years averaging 210 baseballs a week. She spoke highly of working at the factory. Was she being discriminated against? Taken advantage of? You could  argue that MLB could certainly afford to pay more for the baseballs produced in this Costa Rica couldn't you. Why don't they?

 I guess I believe it is all relative to some extent and ultimately its about choice. I have seen a lot of people wearing jerseys of their favorite pro athlete contributing to their salaries all while complaining about what others make. I have a friend who was a stripper while she attended law school, made thousands of dollars a week, left law school with no debt and now works as corporate lawyer. I have a friend who is a restaurant owner I don't know if he has ever had a vacation. I have another in Tokyo sailing for the US in the olympics and another that forages the woods of North Carolina searching for Ginseng. Another who just retired from the Navy after 25 years of service. A lot of varied choices of successful people.

 I appreciate this chapter but it really seems like common sense to me. Life is not fair not everyone is equal and anything desirable is worth working for. If you are not going to carry the torch for yourself and seek to succeed. You are watching the world go by and you may in fact get poorer as others get richer.

Spring Skiing Mt. Guyot