With the NBA finals in motion and the WNBA season with a full head of steam, there's a lot of really, really tall people on TV lately. So I’m going to take this chance to use tall basketball players as valuable metaphors for how natural advantages impact results, and why (fortunately) you can still succeed despite factors you don't control.
In my senior season of high school basketball I scored 0.9 points per game, meaning I typically scored about once every two games. Impressed? Well, that would be an excellent scoring rate for soccer, but not so much for a basketball player. Turns out my prime era for basketball was middle school, since I was already at my adult height and starting to develop adult strength (I sure thought so at least). But while 5'10.5" is a decent height for an 8th grade forward, it's far from an advantage at the high school varsity level. So, can I blame my paltry points per game on my height, which is something I simply can't control? Not really. I was taller than our starting point guard, and he was one of the top players in the region.
The reality is, I could have worked on a lot of things to become a better player, but since I'd always been tall, my parents were tall, and my older brothers were 5" taller than me, I just kept waiting to grow. Ending up 4” shorter than what my pediatric charts predicted simply wasn’t fair to a young athlete, and I kept waiting for that to resolve itself. So, my lack of action kept me on the bench.
People have overcome much worse odds to become much better players. Muggsy Bogues’ height of 5'3" gave him a tougher path to basketball stardom than Shawn Bradley (7’6”), Patrick Ewing (7’0”), Charles Barkley (6’6”), and Michael Jordan (6’6”). But he was still good enough to play in the NBA for over a decade, and even gained some intergalactic experience in the original Space Jam!
Tall basketball players and generational wealth
Here's the deal. Some people are bound to have financial advantages over you, despite doing nothing to earn those advantages. By definition, that isn’t fair, but it doesn’t mean there’s no path to your financial goals.
On the other hand, maybe you’re someone who got a head start and all the best tools, who knows. Being born into a wealthy family or other advantageous circumstances isn't that much different than being a basketball player who is naturally tall. It definitely makes things a lot easier, with a lot higher likelihood of success. Gargantuan guards, formidable forwards, and stilt-legged centers shouldn't be ashamed of having an easier path, considering they don’t control their height. That said, where you start doesn’t guarantee where you finish. Someone who doesn't appreciate their gifts is unlikely to nurture them. Just like people letting their physical gifts go to waste, trust fund kids can end up broke if they’re reckless. Just think of how many broke celebrities make millions per year and end up in debt anyway.
Don’t wait for things to be fair. Just like you don't have to hit your head on doorways to play high school basketball, you don't have to be born wealthy to have financial health or even wealth. Yes, it's much harder to be a competitive basketball player when you're not tall. Yes, it's much harder to build wealth when you start at a disadvantage of some kind (and there are an absurd amount of disadvantages out there). But the higher level of difficulty doesn't change the fact that it's still possible, and people make it happen every single day.
Never be ashamed of who you are or where you started, whether those things prove to be financially advantageous or not. Some people grow up in a safe neighborhood, go cool places, do lots of fun activities, get their own car at 16, have their college paid for, use family connections to get a great job, and learn money management at a young age from financially responsible parents. Some have aptitudes that give them easy access to high paying jobs. They should not be ashamed of their life circumstances, and they should be thoroughly grateful instead. If I have my way, that's how my family will grow up, and I'd never want them to feel bad about it. But that's not how it goes for everyone, and for all we know, that's not how it will go for our kids. An infinite number of things can happen to change circumstances for the better or worse.
Some people grow up in poverty, feeling unsafe, not having their needs met, few (if any) positive role models, have to try harder than others, and some even have to battle bigotry in order to break the poverty cycle. Or, maybe someone is born into typical circumstances but doesn't possess lucrative aptitudes. People in these circumstances have to do a lot more than others to achieve financial health, because the odds are stacked against them. And you know what? Some achieve financial health anyway. I've seen it with friends, family, coworkers, classmates - you name it. If this sounds like how you started or where you are now, don't be ashamed. It's not forever, and there are ways out.
What if we leveled the playing field?
I can't change systemic bigotry, I can't put food on your table, I can't level the playing field. All I can do is teach you personal finance so you can take hold of the factors you actually control.
Even if we did have a one-time mass redistribution of wealth to try to even the financial playing field, and suddenly all social issues were simultaneously fixed… how do you think that would go? Would that make it equal forever? Probably not. I suspect it would take 5-10 years max before wealth distribution became extremely unbalanced again. The people who have a bad relationship with money, or an ignorance of personal finance, would wind up struggling to make ends meet. The brand of trust fund kids who think the only manual labor of merit is a red-faced "GIVE ME WHAT I WANT" tantrum would end up losing it all within months, if not days. But with the poverty cycle broken, the road to financial security would change from an obstacle course to a nice flat bike path. Most folks from less extreme circumstances would probably end up in a similar place they were before the redistribution. My point is, your knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and choices (ABCs) are your best hope to achieving sustainable financial health, regardless of where you started or where you are now. Even if things were suddenly fair, we all need to have quality financial skills and habits.
Wrapping up
My book isn't about getting rich, it's about making money a positive and healthy part of life. Check it out here:
Your best life is a healthy life. Go get it.
Комментарии