Don't Get Above Your Business
By Fernando Soave
Young men after they get through their business training,
or apprenticeship, instead of pursuing their avocation and
rising in their business, will often lie about doing
nothing. They say, "I have learned my business, but I am
not going to be a hireling; what is the object of learning
my trade or profession, unless I establish myself?"
"Have you capital to start with?"
"No, but I am going to have it."
"How are you going to get it?"
"I will tell you confidentially; I have a wealthy old aunt,
and she will die pretty soon; but if she does not, I expect
to find some rich old man who will lend me a few thousands
to give me a start. If I only get the money to start with I
will do well."
There is no greater mistake than when a young man believes
he will succeed with borrowed money. Why? Because every
man's experience coincides with that of Mr. Astor, who
said, "it was more difficult for him to accumulate his
first thousand dollars, than all the succeeding millions
that made up his colossal fortune."
Money is good for
nothing unless you know the value of it by experience. Give
a boy twenty thousand dollars and put him in business, and
the chances are that he will lose every dollar of it before
he is a year older. Like buying a ticket in the lottery,
and drawing a prize, it is "easy come, easy go." He does
not know the value of it; nothing is worth anything, unless
it costs effort. Without self-denial and economy, patience
and perseverance, and commencing with capital which you
have not earned, you are not sure to succeed in
accumulating.
Young men, instead of "waiting for dead men's
shoes," should be up and doing, for there is no class of
persons who are so unaccommodating in regard to dying as
these rich old people, and it is fortunate for the
expectant heirs that it is so. Nine out of ten of the rich
men of our country to-day, started out in life as poor
boys, with determined wills, industry, perseverance,
economy and good habits. They went on gradually, made their
own money and saved it; and this is the best way to acquire
a fortune. Stephen Girard started life as a poor cabin boy,
and died worth nine million dollars. A. T. Stewart was a
poor Irish boy; and he paid taxes on a million and a half
dollars of income, per year. John Jacob Astor was a poor
farmer boy, and died worth twenty millions. Cornelius
Vanderbilt began life rowing a boat from Staten Island to
New York; he presented our government with a steamship
worth a million of dollars, and died worth fifty millions."
There is no royal road to learning," says the proverb, and
I may say it is equally true, "there is no royal road to
wealth." But I think there is a royal road to both. The
road to learning is a royal one; the road that enables the
student to expand his intellect and add every day to his
stock of knowledge, until, in the pleasant process of
intellectual growth, he is able to solve the most profound
problems, to count the stars, to analyze every atom of the
globe, and to measure the firmament — this is a regal
highway, and it is the only road worth traveling. So in regard to wealth. Go on in confidence, study the
rules, and above all things, study human nature; for "the
proper study of mankind is man," and you will find that
while expanding the intellect and the muscles, your
enlarged experience will enable you every day to accumulate
more and more principal, which will increase itself by
interest and otherwise, until you arrive at a state of
independence.
You will find, as a general thing, that the
poor boys get rich and the rich boys get poor. For
instance, a rich man at his decease, leaves a large estate
to his family. His eldest sons, who have helped him earn
his fortune, know by experience the value of money, and
they take their inheritance and add to it. The separate
portions of the young children are placed at interest, and
the little fellows are patted on the head, and told a dozen
times a day, "you are rich; you will never have to work,
you can always have whatever you wish, for you were born
with a golden spoon in your mouth." The young heir soon
finds out what that means; he has the finest dresses and
playthings; he is crammed with sugar candies and almost"
killed with kindness," and he passes from school to
school, petted and flattered. He becomes arrogant and
self-conceited, abuses his teachers, and carries everything
with a high hand. He knows nothing of the real value of
money, having never earned any; but he knows all about the "golden
spoon" business. At college, he invites his poor
fellow-students to his room, where he "wines and dines" them.
He is cajoled and caressed, and called a glorious good fellow,
because he is so lavish of his money. He gives
his game suppers, drives his fast horses, invites his chums
to fetes and parties, determined to have lots of "good
times." He spends the night in frolics and debauchery, and
leads off his companions with the familiar song, "we won't
go home till morning." He gets them to join him in pulling
down signs, taking gates from their hinges and throwing
them into back yards and horse-ponds. If the police arrest
them, he knocks them down, is taken to the lock-up, and
joyfully foots the bills. "Ah! my boys," he cries, "what is the use of being
rich, if
you can't enjoy yourself?"
He might more truly say, "if you can't make a fool of
yourself;" but he is "fast," hates slow things,
and don't"
see it." Young men loaded down with other people's money
are almost sure to lose all they inherit, and they acquire
all sorts of bad habits which, in the majority of cases,
ruin them in health, purse and character. In this country,
one generation follows another, and the poor of to-day are
rich in the next generation, or the third. Their experience
leads them on, and they become rich, and they leave vast
riches to their young children. These children, having been
reared in luxury, are inexperienced and get poor; and after
long experience another generation comes on and gathers up
riches again in turn. And thus "history repeats itself," and
happy is he who by listening to the experience of others avoids
the rocks and shoals on which so many have
been wrecked.
"In England, the business makes the man." If a man in
that
country is a mechanic or working-man, he is not recognized
as a gentleman. On the occasion of my first appearance
before Queen Victoria, the Duke of Wellington asked me what
sphere in life General Tom Thumb's parents were in.
"His father is a carpenter," I replied.
"Oh! I had heard he was a gentleman," was the response
of
His Grace.
In this Republican country, the man makes the business. No
matter whether he is a blacksmith, a shoemaker, a farmer,
banker or lawyer, so long as his business is legitimate, he
may be a gentleman. So any "legitimate" business is a
double blessing — it helps the man engaged in it, and also
helps others. The farmer supports his own family, but he
also benefits the merchant or mechanic who needs the
products of his farm. The tailor not only makes a living by
his trade, but he also benefits the farmer, the clergyman
and others who cannot make their own clothing. But all
these classes of men may be gentlemen.
The great ambition should be to excel all others engaged in
the same occupation.
The college-student who was about graduating, said to an
old lawyer:
"I have not yet decided which profession I will follow. Is
your profession full?"
"The basement is much crowded, but there is plenty of room
up-stairs," was the witty and truthful reply.
No profession, trade, or calling, is overcrowded in the
upper story. Wherever you find the most honest and
intelligent merchant or banker, or the best lawyer, the
best doctor, the best clergyman, the best shoemaker,
carpenter, or anything else, that man is most sought for,
and has always enough to do. As a nation Americans are too
superficial — they are striving to get rich quickly, and do
not generally do their business as substantially and
thoroughly as they should, but whoever excels all others in
his own line, if his habits are good and his integrity
undoubted, cannot fail to secure abundant patronage, and
the wealth that naturally follows. Let your motto then
always be "Excelsior," for by living up to it there is
no
such word as fail. •
© 2005 Fernando Soave
About the Author
Fernando
Soave is the author of "Cutting Edge MLM
News." He has been in marketing for 20 years and is
helping individuals succeed online. Visit his site www.cuttingedgemlm.tk
to find out how you can get free reports. 02/24/05
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