08.05.08
Think Like an Immigrant
Jake Halpern, author of “Fame Junkies”, conducted a study of 650 American teenagers asking them if they would rather be stronger, more beautiful, smarter – or famous. It’s results showed that boys valued fame as much as intelligence, and girls actually valued it more than intelligence. When asked if they would rather become a US Senator or a celebrity’s personal assistant – you know, the person who picks up the dry cleaning – the leaders of tomorrow opted to be close to the stars by a ratio of three to one. A narcissistic, entitlement generation is a pushover for hungry, motivated, and hard working immigrants.
In South Africa, where I grew up, immigrants often made a lot more money than we locals did. There was a good reason for that, and when I immigrated to Canada ten years ago, I understood why. Please note, I know very well that this is not applicable to all immigrants. There are some groups of immigrants that should never be allowed into the country, I know that, but I am talking in generalities and from my personal experience.
Generally speaking, immigrants don’t understand the welfare state, social safety net that Canadians and British people take for granted. They don’t have the old school network or the natural support of xenophobia. Many immigrants come from countries they wanted to leave because of violence, crime, corruption, and danger, and when they get to North America or the United Kingdom, they’re ready to make it happen, no matter what. Work is not something they want to avoid, they take nothing for granted, and they are prepared to prove themselves. Immigrants are not hampered by being politically correct, passive aggression, and relying on reputation, connections, or family support, old money, or institutionalized xenophobia to protect their interests and succeed.
Immigrants get here believing in the American Dream, even in Canada and the UK, and compared to where we come from, it is a dream come true. We believe in making a fortune, we expect to get rich, and we see opportunity and money under every proverbial bush. We don’t make excuses, because in our countries, people didn’t accept excuses. We think that we will end up in the street if we don’t deliver the goods. We don’t feel entitled, we don’t have a rich uncle or mommy to bail us out, there is no back door, and we realize that we are building from scratch, and that we have to earn and create whatever we want. We don’t understand the system, so we don’t use the socialistic system; we expect to pay for things. We’re afraid of being deported or getting into trouble, so we behave honestly. And we really don’t give a damn what Brad Pitt or some druggie, film star slut has to say.
The children of immigrants seldom accomplish what their immigrant parents did. That tells us a lot. Your attitude in life will determine your altitude, and the immigrant attitude is a good one to model. Here’s my mindset as a forty-five-year-old immigrant when I realized that, in spite of xenophobia and built-in structures of protectionism, I was sitting on a gold mine, with very little competition from the society I had joined: “Whatever it takes, however long it takes, 24/7/365, no turning back, top of the pile, back to the wall, locked and loaded, make it happen.” With that attitude, you can’t help but succeed against all odds, and you don’t need to immigrate to have that attitude!
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
