How is it that dumbasses can become wealthy?

[dirtydancing]

Coming from banking I have met several wealthy people that lack common sense, basic budgeting skills, and still seem to become successful. . . I truly don't get it.


The only thought that seems to make sense is that they are so stupid that they seem to ignore things like risk which some smart people over analyze which allows them to edge out people who are genuinely smarter.

FYI, I don't think it takes a whole lot of brains to be successful, but some of the people I have come across are really really stupid.

 

[AdamC]

The only thought that seems to make sense is that they are so stupid that they seem to ignore things like risk which some smart people over analyze which allows them to edge out people who are genuinely smarter.

This is why, combined with luck of course. It's not like every dumb person who takes risks is successful.

p.s. are you Drew Myers?

 

[dirtydancing]

LMAO nope. I used to be jonas33h but I don't remember my password and it would let me reset it for some reason, so dirtydancing was born.

 

[avatar33]

It's high testosterone bro. Betas can be very smart, but they don't like risk taking. They like smooth sailing... dat safe paycheck every 2 weeks!

 

[Kiopa_Matt]

Did they become successful on their own? Or do they just come from a rich and/or powerful family?

I've met lots of people who are filthy rich, and dumb as fuck. Literally can't do anything, but cruising around in a nice BMW, paying off $100k bills why laughing about how high the bills is, etc. They almost always come from a wealthy family though.

Self-made wealth though? Honestly can't say I've met too many idiots who've accomplished that. They all seemed pretty intelligent to me. Oh, and also ALWAYS seemed far more modest and down to earth than all the "ballers" you see around forums like this.

 

[Meatytreats]

It's the ability to take action that often separates the successful from the unsuccessful. Being persistent and continuing to try is not the same thing as being smart.

 

[dirtydancing]

It's the ability to take action that often separates the successful from the unsuccessful. Being persistent and continuing to try is not the same thing as being smart.

I agree with that, I also think that book smart type of people also are concerned with what people may think of them for giving something a go, and don't want to take a ding to their ego. Whereas there are a lot of not so smart people who just go out there and try and do it no matter how stupid it may seem.

I think there is also a difference between knowing just enough to follow instructions and be to smart that you arrogantly think you know better.

An example of this is I've talked to one of the most successful Auntie Anne pretzel owners and they follow the corporate model to a T, whereas they know other people who focus to much on the accounting and don't give out the same that is recommended and fail. The first set of guys assumed they didn't know best and followed a proven system and the latter assumed differently and were not as successful.

 

[Douglife]

LMAO nope. I used to be jonas33h but I don't remember my password and it would let me reset it for some reason, so dirtydancing was born.

fuckin' DIRTY DANCER.

 

[DanTe_0101]

It's the ability to take action that often separates the successful from the unsuccessful. Being persistent and continuing to try is not the same thing as being smart.

100x this, I think myself of little smart than avg but I lack action taking skill, and am too much fucking lazy.I just keep procrastinating.

I've seen many dumb people who are very persistent in what they are doing and I am like "If I can get that amt of work done using my smartness I would easily be 10x richer than him"

 

[dmnEPC]

I'll give you an example of something that happened this past week. Saturday witnessed the crazy success of a new product. Monday sourced it, Tuesday negotiated it, wendsday drove 800 miles round trip. Friday and Saturday sold a 1000 units quadruple the money. In fact it's so good it sold out. So you already know what's going to happen next week.

Success has little to do with being smart. It's all about action. When you see an opportunity you have to jump into head first. I know a lot of very successful people who I consider to be dumb. But at the same time they are buisness savey. But they all have the same characteristics. They are super focused on their goals. They take action and with a stubbornness that most people simply can't emulate.

 

[JoseArmando]

A lot more luck involved in business than most people here would like to admit. Sometimes dumbasses just strike gold solely by luck, it has nothing to do with persistence, hard work, ideas or whatever.

It's like, you hear a lot of successful people talk about how they got their money but the truth is, they can't know for sure why they got where they are. For every successful persistent/creative/inventive entrepreneur you have a hundreds of them that don't amount to anything.

 

[Deliguy]

I'm sure a good majority of the people at my bank see me as a dumbass punk kid who keeps getting lucky. I'm even more sure the questions I go in there with sometimes don't help with their perceptions.

 

[slowboiled]

They take action and with a stubbornness that most people simply can't emulate.

Well said. Taking action alone doesn't account alone for the big wealth that I've experienced some people accumulate on their own. Many people see others success and go take action on their own and end up spinning their wheels for years not realizing taking action is just a piece of it. Action taking is huge, but's it's not a 'stock' tool for the self-made, they've souped that fucker up.

Putting out an Extraordinary amount of effort(like EPC illustrated for us), taking 'rabid-wreckless-abandon-don't get in my fucking way I'm on a mission' action makes the difference for me. You Don't get back what you put into life equally, that's a Huge lapse in most peoples judgement(imo)...you get just a bit less than you put in, consistently in life, until you knuckle up and really fight reason, hit the top shelf then the handicap switches over and begins to overcompensate in your favor.

Bad effort = no result (think of a job/relationship)
Standard effort = bad result
Good effort = standard result
Great effort = good result

then for some reason it changes at the last tier:

Extraordinary effort = you get everything, madness and insanity

I'll be embarrassed if any of you know where I learned that, but it earned me my first breakout 20K month over a decade ago and still holds true every time I apply it.

 

[noZaw]

I'll give you an example of something that happened this past week. Saturday witnessed the crazy success of a new product. Monday sourced it, Tuesday negotiated it, wendsday drove 800 miles round trip. Friday and Saturday sold a 1000 units quadruple the money. In fact it's so good it sold out. So you already know what's going to happen next week.

Success has little to do with being smart. It's all about action. When you see an opportunity you have to jump into head first. I know a lot of very successful people who I consider to be dumb. But at the same time they are buisness savey. But they all have the same characteristics. They are super focused on their goals. They take action and with a stubbornness that most people simply can't emulate.

Yeah! Genius! Smarts don't matter! All a retard has to do is "take action" by banging his helmet on the doorknob.

 

[csnreyes]

"How is it that dumbasses can become wealthy?"

While most spent their time going to college or learning how to be an employee, these guys more than likely had a burning fire to succeed. Being successful doesn't require you to be extraordinarily smart. Strategic persistence succeeds all else.

 

[BigWill]

nike commercials

 

[Meatytreats]

A lot more luck involved in business than most people here would like to admit. Sometimes dumbasses just strike gold solely by luck, it has nothing to do with persistence, hard work, ideas or whatever.

This is 100% BS and a scapegoat, IMO.

You may be lucky by being successful in the first thing you try, but you still had to make the initial effort.

Rarely, does anyone luck into success, unless it is given to them by a third party.

 

[JoseArmando]

This is 100% BS and a scapegoat, IMO.

You may be lucky by being successful in the first thing you try, but you still had to make the initial effort.

Rarely, does anyone luck into success, unless it is given to them by a third party.

I've seen first hand huge companies that are generating insane numbers and are run by complete idiots. However due to a lucky set of coincidences the companies keep on making money despite all common sense. I'm not saying that's the norm, but every once in a while you'll see a successful idiot and the only thing he has going for him is blind luck

 

[ayzo]

It's the ability to take action that often separates the successful from the unsuccessful. Being persistent and continuing to try is not the same thing as being smart.

100x this, I think myself of little smart than avg but I lack action taking skill, and am too much fucking lazy.I just keep procrastinating.

I've seen many dumb people who are very persistent in what they are doing and I am like "If I can get that amt of work done using my smartness I would easily be 10x richer than him"

I'll give you an example of something that happened this past week. Saturday witnessed the crazy success of a new product. Monday sourced it, Tuesday negotiated it, wendsday drove 800 miles round trip. Friday and Saturday sold a 1000 units quadruple the money. In fact it's so good it sold out. So you already know what's going to happen next week.

Success has little to do with being smart. It's all about action. When you see an opportunity you have to jump into head first. I know a lot of very successful people who I consider to be dumb. But at the same time they are buisness savey. But they all have the same characteristics. They are super focused on their goals. They take action and with a stubbornness that most people simply can't emulate.

these

I've seen people sit on their ass and do nothing for 6 months but decide what type of log they wanted, business card designs, and which off the shelf wordpress/shopify theme they were going to use. They thought they were getting work done but all they were doing was procrastinating.

Google's head of HR has done a lot of interviews recently and the one thing that keeps being brought up is the importance of a person with an action bias, it's even on their hiring page:

How we hire - Google Careers

We want to get a feel for what makes you, well, you. We also want to make sure this is a place you’ll thrive, so we’ll be looking for signs around your comfort with ambiguity, your bias to action and your collaborative nature.

 

[User9364]

It's like, you hear a lot of successful people talk about how they got their money but the truth is, they can't know for sure why they got where they are. For every successful persistent/creative/inventive entrepreneur you have a hundreds of them that don't amount to anything.

Plenty of them do know. And some of them will tell you it was luck.

If someone had a first big success as "luck," but then have other successes afterward, I start listening to them.

I also agree with the concept that "you make your own luck." That guy who is constantly unlucky... he likely puts himself there.