I'll Be a Friend

I've heard successful people say, "Choose your friends wisely." It's true that some people can bring you down, can curb your ambition or courage, and can squash or make fun of your dreams.

But I feel torn because I want success and yet I consider 'everyone' my friend. I might not listen to or believe some things, but I have hope in good outcomes. (Someone hopes for me and I follow that example.) I don't want to judge or stop being friends, but want to encourage my friends to reach further.

I believe in success. But I won't consider myself a success if I become successful by cutting off ties; on the contrary, I'll feel selfish and mean. I may protect myself from unsavory words or actions, but I'll be kind. I won't shun but embrace and have faith in everyone's ability to choose good things. I'll be a friend.

I Celebrate Success

An untrue belief says that if someone else doesn't have something, not to celebrate it because it's "bragging." That's not true. That belief controls people's behavior. The truth is that people are free to celebrate what they have, and other people are free to either be happy for their success or be jealous because they have something that the other person doesn't. For example, one thought is that if I have a husband and they don't, don't say, "I'm grateful for my husband" because it rubs in the other person's face the fact that they don't have one. Another thought is that if I say "I'm grateful for my husband," the other person has the opportunity to be happy or jealous of me. If I lived according to the first thought, I could never celebrate what another person didn't have - we would always be equal - actually, I would be brought down from my success to their non-success.

A baby is good until they're born into this negative world. They may live negatively for many years; but once they're grown they can choose how to live. Everyone has the same opportunity to succeed, but the world's downward pull says, "Success is bad." It's a lie, success is good. A child's life may be bad, but their childhood doesn't dictate their future success.

The Successful and the Freeloaders

I heard a Jewish Rabbi (who is very familiar with the Talmud) say that only 20% of the Israelite's left Egypt and followed Moses. The Hebrew Bible says 1/5 of the children of Israel left Egypt. Perhaps the many who stayed said things like, "It's not so bad to be a slave," or "I like Egypt and I'm not leaving," or "My family is staying and I won't leave them." Whatever they might have said the point is that they chose to follow Pharaoh not God.

The percentage seems consistent with the many and the few. Regarding the straight and narrow path, few there be that find it. Regarding the broad path, many there go thereat. Freeloaders say they don't have the same chances as the successful. Wrong! All people have the same chance, but freeloaders choose not to do what it takes to become successful. 

Successful people plan for their future. Freeloaders don't plan - they don't see their future past right now. This truth reminds me of the story about the ants and the grasshopper:

In the summer, the ants gathered food so they'd have something to eat in the winter. The grasshopper just enjoyed the sunshine. In the winter, the ants partied in their warm house and ate their food. Meanwhile, the grasshopper froze outside. He noticed the ants inside all warm and toasty and full of food, so he knocked on their door and asked if he could join them. The ants said yes and gave him shelter and food, whereby the grasshopper did a jig.

Freeloaders have existed since at least the time of Moses, possibly forever, why should anything different be expected today? Successful people will continue to plan and freeloaders will continue to complain that life isn't fair. Successful people will continue to show mercy to freeloaders and each person's actions will say how they are.