Self-made

I have a problem with the "self-made" moniker.

There's a certain pride I take in not having been raised in an uppercrust family but now being able to enjoy the niceties of middle-class life: travel, a car, a home we can call our own, etc. I thought to myself, quietly, "Hey, I'm a self-made 'success.'"

But looking back over the past weekend, celebrating my birthday, I stopped to think about how lucky I am with my friends, family, and colleagues. I thought maybe I'm not as "self-made" as the name suggests. My life today is but a sum of all the lessons and opportunities the people in my life afforded me.

And while I wasn't born to a life of financial privilege, I still had a leg up compared to my cohort. I had parents who had the means, will, and grit to see to it that I had the right life lessons and education. That in itself is privilege.

Even those who are "self-made" successes despite not having the support of family - they must have had people who pushed them, even just a little, up to where they are. Teachers, bosses, mentors, what have you.

It's humbling, then, to consider that I'm not all that special---that it's my family and friends who are special. I'm not just self-made. The people in my life built me up. Thanks to all of you. Now, I'll make sure to build others up in the ways I can.

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  1. kagalaberMarch 5, 2022 at 9:54 AM

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