Did you watch the Superbowl? The Weeknd has the ultimate rags to riches storyline. After his performance, all the news outlets kept pushing the same story- how he went from being homeless to headlining one of the biggest national events. He achieved the quintessential American Dream by grappling his way to the top.
We are taught from a young age that the ultimate successful person is defined by starting from humble beginnings and overcoming hardships on their journey to success. It is present in our books, movies and even our music (Drake’s Started From The Bottom)
But is the American dream toxic?
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What Is The American Dream?
What does the American dream mean to you? According to Merriam Webster, the American dream is: “a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful”
In other words, if you work hard enough, you will become happy and successful.
Wrong.
Why The American Dream Is Toxic
The American dream paired with the rags-to-riches ideology perpetuates the narrative that success and happiness come at a price. That price is usually your freedom and time.
The American dream is designed to keep people working. It is one of the biggest reasons our country has a toxic hustle culture. We constantly think we aren’t doing enough or being enough and that we just need to work a little harder.
Don’t get me wrong, the American dream does inspire and provide hope during our darkest times. But it does so in a toxic way. It perpetuates that struggling is equivalent to success.
The more you struggle, the greater your success. The further you climb, the more impressive it is.
Success doesn’t have to be hard. Let me say that again, success doesn’t have to be hard.
How The Rags To Riches Philosophy Created More Problems For Me
My family and I immigrated to America when I was 5 years old and I watched them juggle multiple jobs, dive into their work and fight for their success. In their first 7 years here, my mom earned her PhD, my dad became a professor, and they bought their first house all on their own.
They’re the most hard-working people I know and they taught me that anything is possible if you work for it.
Thanks to their sacrifices, I have been able to live a privileged life. The American dream inspired them and worked for them.
When I first entered the entrepreneurship world as a real estate agent I was stuck on the philosophy that I had to struggle to reach success.
This mindset ended up creating unnecessary struggles. I dove right into real estate, avoided getting a part-time job and went broke. All of this was caused because I subconsciously believed I had to “pay my dues” to earn my place.
After my first two years of real estate, I decided I was done grappling my way to the top. I stopped wasting time on busy work and started focusing on attraction marketing and believing that success doesn’t have to be hard.
Read: How I Saved $100k In Two Years
Final Thoughts
Stop believing the narrative that The American Dream shoves down our throats. You don’t have to go broke or sleep 3 hours a night to achieve success.
Focus on the inspiring portions of The American Dream- 88% of millionaires are self-made. You can become a millionaire if you choose to, but you do not have to struggle for it. With the right tools and mindset, all you need is time and consistent effort. Do not create unnecessary obstacles for yourself.
The biggest secret to success is time and consistency. But unfortunately that’s not as inspiring or catchy as “Rags to Riches”, “work harder”, etc. Start looking for ways to enjoy the path to success and it will make your life easier.
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Hi I’m obsessed that you have this amazing blog!?!
Great work!!
Very inspiring.
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