I've been thinking about how to throw the phrase "American Dream" loosely. As such, some consider this prosperous result to be impossible and inevitable. When that doesn't happen, they don't understand or respect the path to this dream, so they reflexively blame America instead of lack of action.
In the final project of his son's sophomore class, he decided to interview me about my thoughts on this subject. His first question: how can someone achieve the American dream?
To achieve the American Dream, make yourself as valuable as possible by building skill sets, gaining experience along the way, and learning from people who are smarter and more successful than you. Must be a thing. The road to success is very competitive and it is important to find all the benefits of competing with other talented people.
I explained to my son that the American dream was not given. To make your dreams come true, you have to work hard and overcome the challenges of life. Sometimes in order to find this dream, you have to deal with an unexpected nightmare.
Then he asked if he believed that anyone could access the American dream, regardless of identity. In short, yes, if they want to make it bad enough.
We always discuss fairness It is possible to believe in Utopia's ideal of absolute fairness. I assure you: they are not. Successful people focus on what they can do, not what they can't do. Waiting for fairness to catch up with you is not the spirit of someone who succeeds.
What does success look like? For some, it's becoming a millionaire or a very prominent figure in their desired industry, but for me it's not. I have always interpreted success as being able to support my weight without resorting to friends, family or government.
His next question: What shaped my view of the American dream? I was fortunate to meet wonderful people from all over the world here in America, and had a deep conversation with others while traveling abroad. Too many Americans take it for granted and are unaware that some aspects of American life typical in many countries are absolutely unusual.
People who had to leave their homeland because of the threat of ethnic persecution, those who had fled from communist hell, those who had to leave everything behind, or families of powerful gangsters. I talked to people who faced the murder. We fully understand that the world of
is a dangerous placeand that safety is never guaranteed. 37} Peoplehaven't been on the waiting list for years to come to America because they're so terrible herethrough our southern border. They understand that we have something special, and I hope more Americans understand how lucky they are to win the birth draw. .. We are flawed, but the place to live is much worse.
In the last question, my son asked if I found the American dream. Yes, there is absolutely. As an adult, I experiencedhomelessness,unemployment, and car recovery. Still, I was able to focus very much on building skill sets and gaining experience for a comfortable life today.
I stopped waiting for others , Started to trust myself. I had a habit of mercy on my failure, rather than assessing my path to success. When I began to trust myself and believed in the possibility of living this highly sought after dream, the path to success became clearer.
The American dream is a beautiful and ambitious concept, but it is not given. When celebrating the birth of our great country, I remember how grateful I am to live in a country where I can find a way to succeed after such a great failure of myself. I also remember all the wonderful people I met who came here with almost nothing and were able to build a prosperous life for them.
There is no dream more than an American dream, and I don't want to wake up from it.
Adam B. Coleman is the author of "Black Victim To Black Victor" and the founder of WrongSpeak Publishing.
