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Well it was worth the wait. This series of articles does exactly what I've always wanted to do. The author, Ryan D'Agostino, stops in some very wealthy neighborhoods and knocks on people's doors to find out how the heck they got where they are. I've often driven in tony neighborhoods and wondered two things: 1. what do these people do for a living and 2. can I apply?
As with any good magazine article I've read, I was left wanting more. I went to the bookstore near work and checked if the magazine had more in depth reports but it didn't. This link will take you to a version of the article that contains facts about each zip code the author visited and more interestingly the number of doors he knocked on in each location. I'd love to hear about the other people he talked to or even about the responses he got from people who wouldn't talk to him.
The danger of an article like this is that it makes it seem like we're about to be given the keys to the kingdom, that all we have to do is follow these people's example and we'll also be just as rich as they are. But what were the lessons learned from these people; take risks, don't look at failure as a setback look at it as a learning opportunity, and by helping others you will help yourself.
Ok so now what?
Having this knowledge doesn't mean we're going to act on it or that we can act on it. I can be risky but that's not the same as taking a risk. These people weren't risky but they did take risks. One of the people profiled started his career working in the corporate world, always answering to someone else when he really wanted to be the boss. Given the opportunity to build a sales department from scratch he took the offer since it was the closest he'd get to being the boss. With that experience and his network of contacts he found a small company for sale, bought it and went from being an employee to being the boss. It was a risk but was it risky? No because he had knowledge and experience on his side in addition to the careful planning I'm sure he did before maing the final decision.
Read the articles and think about how you can apply some of the lessons in your life.
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