78. Luck happens to you, success you can ensure

Dear Jan,

you wrote about the changes the government needs to implement for the next generation to succeed. To govern is to look ahead and that’s exactly what most governments (should) keep themselves busy with. But as an individual this is irrelevant as you have no control over whether the government in your country is successful or not. I would not recommend anyone to put their fate in the hands of their government or anyone else.Everyone has the opportunity to make something of their life or not. I have a colleague who grew up in a concentration camp and refugee camps in the former Yugoslavia, her parents lost everything and yet through hard work, they built a great life again. Another of my colleagues is an amazing woman from our office in Donetsk, Ukraine with a tremendous positive attitude and drive. She decided to work even harder instead of letting herself become a victim of adverse circumstances. She packed her things and went to Kiev and continued her life with even more power and passion.

I wonder why everything must be regulated in Western Europe (and the EU). It seems that we collectively want to give the responsibility for our wellbeing to the government. Then if something is not going well, we can blame something or someone else.
It is always possible to make something great of your life. Especially if you live in Europe. And you do not need a government to help you, rather I believe the contrary is true. The more you are “pampered”, the more you are supported and helped, the weaker you become. The same is true for subsidies. Most grants only create weakness. If you get a grant, there is no more need to go the extra mile.
Luck happens to you, success you can ensure. Luck, for example, is being born in Europe. Being successful in Europe is your choice. You are in charge of everything you do (and don’t do), for everything you have (and don’t). With such an attitude nobody needs help and everyone is very well able to look after themselves.

My son was an intern at a plumbing company. He was working with a freelancer and also in a larger company. Here he learned the effect of making negative choices. The employees took frequent and ever longer breaks, started work later and stopped earlier, and went home during working hours to arrange non-work matters. They were also the first to be laid off when the company had to downsize. However, at the freelancer, where there was more work than he could handle, he learned the right attitude of hard work and fighting spirit.
Whether you’re a business owner or an employee, your destiny is to a very large degree in your own hands. Whether the next generation will succeed or not – this is to a very large extent in the hands of the next generation. What we can do for the next generation is to leave the world in a good shape, the public finances in order, our finances in order and reduce our environmental impact.

Regards,

Gerard