Everyone dreams of becoming successful. Every student, every child, grows up thinking that they are going to change the world one day. However, only few selected individuals develops into moguls that do. Only the very prominent members of the society will yield the economical, political, social power along with the rest of the population. This not-so-crazy phenomenon then strikes a perpetuating question:

What qualities do successful individauls carry that others don’t?

Most students, from middle school to college, spend a majority of their time in school or other curricular related to their academics. Then, they either get an internship, part or full time job, and soon they are entered into the work force with the rest of Seattle. Of course there are other alternative routes into the “real world,” I’m just listing out one of the possibilities. When college students enter into the latter stages of their school years and realize that there graduation is imminent, they can be categorized by two interchangeable reactions: incredibly excited or incredibly anxious. With thousands of dollars already invested to a high-risk, high return stake, these young college graduates are faced in an extremely pressured environment. Even before their graduation, astute students would have already attended several internship fairs to desperately scout an opportunity for entry-level experience in a respectable firm or a company. While some succeed, many more fail to seize the chance that they all may deserve. Along the trails of desperation comes failure and the continuous cycle of unfavorable results that deteriorates the confidence of young adults from starting on a new expedition.

In this time of progress, the early stages of the one’s life-hood distinguishes some of the most profound characteristics of an entrepreneur. Finding these characteristics within oneself is often difficult. It requires significant effort to find the right angle where the direction of progress will show. But many of those who thoroughly investigate recorded data, make observations and soon find the problems in their life, then set out to solve them. This is the beginning stages of success of any size—finding and solving a problem. While solving a problem necessitates a different level of concentrated innovation, first addressing the complication of the failure is the foremost difficulty that most people neglect to recognize. Once an individual meets an obstacle in their journey, the choice is left between change of direction or taking it head on. It may seem easy at first to just look for an alternate route around the edges of the difficulties, but life reassures you in the most undesirable ways that only those who have made it on the other side will know if the grass is indeed greener. Of many individuals that always choose the more difficult route, I’ve observed that many turned out to be entrepreneurs or of an entrepreneurial mindset.

One of my favorites things to do in my free time is listen to podcasts, and among the numerous podcasts I listen to, my favorite one is NPR’s How I Built This. On the show, the host, Guy Raz, invites successful entrepreneurs from various industries to talk about their upbringings and how they developed into world-class leaders. In the stories told by these leaders, I recognized a pattern that emerged in almost every story. In many of the stories told in the podcast, the protagonists encounter an epiphany moment in depression of their lives, which then becomes the foundation of a robust venture. Sometimes they had been thousands of dollars in debt, millions in others; and yet, they continued down a path of abundant endeavors to finally reach a point of status and economic prosperity. I’ve inferred that in the midst of hardship comes inseparable, but easily recognizable, desire for personal legend. Survival instincts, evoked by desperation under which circumstances do not provide an escape of life, continue to reveal the transparency of the competence that we complicate ourselves in. In the face of this trouble, the entrepreneurial mindset always sets out to fight and on to win. This characteristics they carry, as if there is a chip on the shoulder that pushes them forward, reminds them of original convictions of promised change. As long as they don’t give up, they can keep trying and it allows them to think creatively and innovate ways to approach closer towards their goals.

Most of us are not ready to be entrepreneurs however. While we dream of fortune, our hopes are unfounded by the lack of dedication. In observance of dishonesty in the work ethics of any reasonable person, it may not be so hard to understand the root differences between the ones that succeed and the ones that don’t. Many would defend their stand on the rigorous schedule they each carry on their shoulders, but they seldom realize that there is no half-ass way into success. Working a full-time job is never usually enough, going to school full-time is never enough, and sometimes going to school and working full-time, is still not enough. Growing up, my Mother would always tell me that because of my ethnic background, I would have to work a lot harder than everyone else. I would have to work while others slept, if I wanted to stay on top of everyone else. When I was working just an hour, someone next to me was working two hours, and the trend continued until my schedule filled with school, jobs, sports, extracurriculars, and independent projects. Despite overloading my agenda and my sleep schedule chopped in half, I was still topped by those who were willing to sacrifice more than I did. Although many of us believe that our last few hours on Netflix and social media is justified by our exhaustive schedule, know that there are people utilizing those opportunities to get ahead. For few, work only began when they had returned from their jobs.

Extreme work ethics were only part of the requirement needed for distinction. A constant change of strategy in the direction of their goal was dared in the process, only to be persevered in an assertive manner. People who fail to use their creativity will only continue to dig their own grave. Without any change of direction, they will never be able to explore new possibilities. I used to have friends that worked 40-60 hour weeks, only to be stuck at a dead end career. They comfort themselves with high wages but in all reality, the paycheck is truly meager compared to the development you received from a job. If you don’t improve any value of yourself, after you walk out that door, you’ll be starting from page one. It’s like running on a treadmill versus going on a jog around the neighborhood; you may run the same distance, burn the same amount of calories, but when you are outside, at least you get to enjoy the experiences of arriving at somewhere new with every step. Why don’t you just run off to somewhere you want to be?

Most people grow up wanting to be millionaires, influential leaders, celebrities, prosperous in every aspect of life, but only few achieve this dream. Only those who are willing to sacrifice, are brought up by the luck of prosperity; the rest are dumped into the bottom 99% by their unwillingness to sacrifice. While it may only take seconds to plant a seed, it will take many months to grow and harvest the fruit, so patience is once again a virtue. Remembering that time will only reflect the honesty you have shown over time, and the fruits will only taste sweet as your sweat. That’s why you will forget the wealth once it leaves your pocket, but the experience will follow you to your grave. Also, remind yourself that not everyone will have to sacrifice the same amount either, life was never meant to be fair in that way. Wealth inequalities already separate society from generations above. Wealth is inherited, as well as poverty. And when people are stricken with hunger and hopelessness, it is much harder for them to see the way our of their misery so close to their feet. It may as well be already foreshadowing your shortfall. Your chance may seem so slim even from centimeters away in the distance, but I sure hope, in one millionth of promising possibility, that you will prove me wrong.

Listen to NPR's How I Built This here