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>The secret is: "I am willing to do whatever it takes to get what I want." Like step over people? Screw the ones who love me? Be unethical? Ignore other parts

>The secret is: "I am willing to do whatever it takes to get what I want." Like step over people? Screw the ones who love me? Be unethical? Ignore other parts of my life? Plus, who said that (a) I know what I want, (b) what I want is good for me (c) what I want is good for society in general, anyway? Not to mention that the whole premise is BS. As if by knowing this "secret" will help anybody. A regression to miracle cures and snake oil medicine for the modern age, if there ever was one.

Roybatty 14y ago
Plus, who said that (a) I know what I want, (b) what I want is good for me (c) what I want is good for society in general, anyway? Then who is making those decisions for you?
- dscrd 14y ago
  One would hope that experts on societal, political and economic issues are, combined with people close to me, and ultimately myself. There's definitely no reason to believe that any individual is always an expert of his own life.
w1ntermute 14y ago
> Like step over people? Screw the ones who love me? Be unethical? Ignore other parts of my life? If that's what it takes. It's a matter of how far you're willing to go for success. For some people, being an honest, loving, and caring person is important. But if you want to succeed like Steve Jobs, you'd better be prepared to do the good and the bad.
- MaybiusStrip 14y ago
  Out of the myriad people who are going to take this advice to heart and selfishly wreak havoc in the lives of other people in the name of success, how many do you actually think will actually become as influential and successful as Steve Jobs? How many do you think will just have gone through life destroying personal and professional relationships with not much too show for except maybe a little extra cash in the bank? You can't ethically defend advice like that. You can be driven and assertive and still maintain boundaries on the morality of your behavior.
return0 14y ago
That probably depends on what one wants to do, but some people do suggest that being ruthless is the ultimate way. Example: http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Rich-Greatest-Entrepreneurs/dp/1591842719 http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Rich-Greatest-Entrepreneurs/dp... Point is, if one is not willing to do whatever it takes, he probably doesn't really want to do the said thing, but rather tries to live up to social expectations.
- pretoriusB 14y ago
  >Point is, if one is not willing to do whatever it takes, he probably doesn't really want to do the said thing, but rather tries to live up to social expectations. Well, not wanting to, say, sacrifice your loved ones for something or play dirty to get it, doesn't mean you don't want it. It just means you are a moral guy, instead of a ruthless jerk. I want a new car, but I'm not willing to steal to buy one --even if I have some scheme by which I would not get caught. I'd rather work and find my way to pay for it. That doesn't mean I don't want it.
  - return0 14y ago
    Obviously, working to pay for it counts as "whatever it takes" too. And doing "whatever it takes" doesn't have to involve stepping onto others, but it may require grand personal sacrifice.
  - rhizome 14y ago
    Logically you're asking about putting the cart before the horse, though. You can tell by the way you structure your questions about this that you're putting way too fine a point on it, and that you're combining goals that simply don't occur to most people. Who's goal is to sacrifice their loved ones for any reason? It just doesn't come up when deciding what to do. How many goals would ever require sacrificing loved ones? Sure, "behind every fortune there is a crime," but to start with the 'crime' part? Only criminals and sociopaths (cue CEO vs. psychopath study) do that.
deleted 14y ago
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Millennium 14y ago
> Like step over people? Screw the ones who love me? Be unethical? Ignore other parts of my life? To find another, possibly riskier, way if these prove unacceptable (as they should). The point is to not give up.
javajosh 14y ago
>Like step over people? Screw the ones who love me? Be unethical? Ignore other parts of my life? Most people have quite a lot of room for action before these even become options. The point is to stay determined, focused, with unwavering attention. Your morality will tend to take care of itself. If you run into a conflict between getting ahead and doing the right thing, do the right thing. Morality is fine, but it tends to take care of itself. When you start making moral mistakes that's a whole different problem. Worrying about morality when you're stuck is like worrying about gas mileage when your car doesn't have an engine.
- deleted 14y ago
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alanning 14y ago
> Like step over people? Screw the ones who love me? Be unethical? Ignore other parts of my life? You define your 'want'. Based on your comment, you are setting your sights too low. Instead of 'I want a fancy car', try 'I want to obtain a fancy car in the fastest way legally possible while staying within social bounds and not hurting anyone.'

Roybatty 14y ago

Plus, who said that (a) I know what I want, (b) what I want is good for me (c) what I want is good for society in general, anyway? Then who is making those decisions for you?

dscrd 14y ago
One would hope that experts on societal, political and economic issues are, combined with people close to me, and ultimately myself. There's definitely no reason to believe that any individual is always an expert of his own life.

w1ntermute 14y ago

> Like step over people? Screw the ones who love me? Be unethical? Ignore other parts of my life? If that's what it takes. It's a matter of how far you're willing to go for success. For some people, being an honest, loving, and caring person is important. But if you want to succeed like Steve Jobs, you'd better be prepared to do the good and the bad.

MaybiusStrip 14y ago
Out of the myriad people who are going to take this advice to heart and selfishly wreak havoc in the lives of other people in the name of success, how many do you actually think will actually become as influential and successful as Steve Jobs? How many do you think will just have gone through life destroying personal and professional relationships with not much too show for except maybe a little extra cash in the bank? You can't ethically defend advice like that. You can be driven and assertive and still maintain boundaries on the morality of your behavior.

return0 14y ago

That probably depends on what one wants to do, but some people do suggest that being ruthless is the ultimate way. Example: http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Rich-Greatest-Entrepreneurs/dp/1591842719 http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Rich-Greatest-Entrepreneurs/dp... Point is, if one is not willing to do whatever it takes, he probably doesn't really want to do the said thing, but rather tries to live up to social expectations.

pretoriusB 14y ago
>Point is, if one is not willing to do whatever it takes, he probably doesn't really want to do the said thing, but rather tries to live up to social expectations. Well, not wanting to, say, sacrifice your loved ones for something or play dirty to get it, doesn't mean you don't want it. It just means you are a moral guy, instead of a ruthless jerk. I want a new car, but I'm not willing to steal to buy one --even if I have some scheme by which I would not get caught. I'd rather work and find my way to pay for it. That doesn't mean I don't want it.
- return0 14y ago
  Obviously, working to pay for it counts as "whatever it takes" too. And doing "whatever it takes" doesn't have to involve stepping onto others, but it may require grand personal sacrifice.
- rhizome 14y ago
  Logically you're asking about putting the cart before the horse, though. You can tell by the way you structure your questions about this that you're putting way too fine a point on it, and that you're combining goals that simply don't occur to most people. Who's goal is to sacrifice their loved ones for any reason? It just doesn't come up when deciding what to do. How many goals would ever require sacrificing loved ones? Sure, "behind every fortune there is a crime," but to start with the 'crime' part? Only criminals and sociopaths (cue CEO vs. psychopath study) do that.

deleted 14y ago

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Millennium 14y ago

> Like step over people? Screw the ones who love me? Be unethical? Ignore other parts of my life? To find another, possibly riskier, way if these prove unacceptable (as they should). The point is to not give up.

javajosh 14y ago

>Like step over people? Screw the ones who love me? Be unethical? Ignore other parts of my life? Most people have quite a lot of room for action before these even become options. The point is to stay determined, focused, with unwavering attention. Your morality will tend to take care of itself. If you run into a conflict between getting ahead and doing the right thing, do the right thing. Morality is fine, but it tends to take care of itself. When you start making moral mistakes that's a whole different problem. Worrying about morality when you're stuck is like worrying about gas mileage when your car doesn't have an engine.

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

alanning 14y ago

> Like step over people? Screw the ones who love me? Be unethical? Ignore other parts of my life? You define your 'want'. Based on your comment, you are setting your sights too low. Instead of 'I want a fancy car', try 'I want to obtain a fancy car in the fastest way legally possible while staying within social bounds and not hurting anyone.'