America will throw tons of hurdles at you to try to knock you off route but, as long as you can avoid the major ones (jail, getting killed, having kids early, getting sick, etc.), you can get to the next level if you want it bad enough. I grew up in government housing eating oodle's and noodle's and cut up hot dogs. It was the hood hood. Then I went to college, graduated, and never looked back. I would say about half my friends made it out, the rest fell to the abovementioned hurdles. Even then, for most people, if you've made mistakes, as long as you still breathing, you can turn your life around
if you want. I remember reading an article a while back that said you're likely to die in the same class you were born in. I always thought that had to have been directed to white people because black people are born at the bottom already, so if you get a trade/marketable degree and get a good job, you've moved up a class then and there. I've never understood that
The next step after that, which is probably what they were referring to, is figuring out how to free yourself from your job and build real wealth, which is harder. But, when it comes to that, I'm of the mind that as long as you make good decisions, don't get caught up in something that can set you back (serious illness, loss of income, divorce), it's a question of when, not if. If you make good decisions for ten years straight, with no hiccups in your life, you're gonna make something of yourself
But like I was saying, most people aren't trying to become successful. They say they are but, they aren't. They're lazy and don't have the discipline to commit to doing anything. So you can cross them off the list. Then you got people who literally can't (dead, in jail, too old, too sick). Then you got people who are risk-adverse and want security. They're just happy where they are. They just want to work a normal job and go home to their kids everyday. Then you have people who aren't interested in making money, period, like someone who decides to be a teacher, or work for a non-profit or the government. Out of a room of 100 people, you just crossed off about 75 of them. Maybe more. There's not as many people competing with you as you think. As long as an Act of God doesn't take you out of here early, if you want it, you'll figure it out
Sidenote: I came around real wealth when I went to college. Started meeting kids of bankers, diplomats, corporate lawyers, rich celebrities, etc. Even more so post-graduation in my career. Once I got exposed to that sort of life in person it changed the way I thought. When you hear someone say they've made $2 million this year and that person does not look or act any more intelligent than you, you start trying to figure out what they're doing that you're not doing. For example, I grew up in the projects. My entire life growing up there, I never gave any consideration that somebody somewhere owned them houses. Usually a white man. And they getting a check every month. My uncle (not by blood but, closer than my blood uncles) owns 7 or so properties. Has three different businesses on top of that. Super paid. And that nikka dropped out of high school. Once, he was telling me a business associate of his (white man) owns like 60 apartments in our city. Said he went out to his house once and just went
and not talking about you Suleiman
