- I have agonized for some time over writing this, but
thought it was past time someone did. Much of this essay is redundant for
many readers. But it presents new concepts for others.
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- America was founded by men who never settled for
second best. Despite their flaws and imperfections, they were all men of
accomplishment and self-study. Thomas Jefferson was personally trained
by George Wythe (1726-1806) to be a lawyer, who himself was a lawyer.
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- It was a time when life was tough for there was no central
heating, air conditioning, electricity or running water. Walls in homes
were painted with paint made of sour cream, lead and charcoal to provide
a grey color. Ancient Rome had running water and central heating
in some buildings, but America in the 1700's did not to the best
of my knowledge. Even the church where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech
is still standing today and can be visited. The people of 1776 had none
of these luxuries we take for granted today.
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- We tend to think in compressed terms that a relatively
short time passed between the time the colonies were established and America's
Declaration of Independence in 1776 but this is far from true. In
2007 the state of Virginia celebrated its 400th anniversary.
When the Constitution was signed, 169 YEARS had passed under the thumb
of the king. It was time for a change so American could be free from the
tyranny of England. No more subservience for America.
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- Despite their human frailties, the signers of the Declaration
of Independence and the Constitution gave their very best in a way that
cannot be expressed in words. Today 231 years later, their work and sacrifice
still serves as an example to every American.
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- Through the negative effects of social engineering and
modern culture, the majority of people alive today in America are
settling for second best or even less, the bottom of the heap. One very
prominent effect of these negative influences is to destroy hope and create
despair. Second best or making do has become a way of life throughout the
entire civilized world.
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- In China, a strong contrast exists between those
hauling water in buckets and living in shacks in the countryside vs. those
who live in modern furnished apartments and drive new cars in the city.
Most of those in the country have accepted their living standard as their
proverbial "lot in life" while others strive for a better life
and attain it. Poverty has long been a tool to control the masses.
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- Under Mao Tse-tung's "Cultural Revolution," China's
universities were closed and professors relegated to the fields to farm
rice. It was Mao's concept of a "cultural revolution." But it
was more like a backward step toward an agri-CULTURAL revolution into an
agrarian economy. Why did he do this? Because ignorant dumbed-down masses
are far easier to control. Sound familiar? Think that can't happen in America?
No one ever dreamed something draconian legislation like the Patriot Act
could ever become law in America. But it did and in more than
one form, too.
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- Recently, a wash-out recruit at the Los Angeles Sheriff's
Academy stated in an interview before starting training there, that she
"just wanted to get by and get through it." She washed out after
the first day by resigning. Perhaps now she should has learned that anyone
who desires to excel at anything in life cannot hope to do so by just "getting
by."
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- Personal goals for success do not have to be focused
strictly on attaining all the personal wealth possible. It's not about
"getting by" with what you may have or as our British friends
like to call it, "making do." What this really is about is to
reach and strive for EXCELLENCE in all you do. It doesn't matter what you
do in life. What matters is what you do with what you have, and what your
long term goals are.
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- There are countless personal success stories in America.
These are people who made their mark on the world in business, sports or
other fields. Each one in their respective field achieved what they set
out to do. And I can tell you from personal experience it will be the hardest
thing you'll ever do, but well worth the satisfaction in the long run.
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- It has been said that if you want to succeed at any long
term goal, do SOMETHING every day to move toward that goal. No matter how
small or big that daily effort may be, do something, anything on it every
day. Olympic athletes must do this or they never make it to the Olympics.
If you are an inventor, work on your idea EVERY day. Even though on some
days you only have time for mental effort. If you do not, don't expect
success or even a patent. (Avoid those television patent assistance companies
like the plague.) The moment time permits, write down everything you thought
about and any people, plans or designs you thought about.
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- It's far better to over exert yourself toward your goal
than to just "get by." Carry a personal voice recorder for those
times when you cannot write, such as when driving. Record and write down
EVERYTHING, no matter how trivial you think it is. What may appear to be
trivia to you now, can suddenly become a critical piece of information
you will need to have later on but you may not know that until another
day.
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- There is a story about a man who pushed himself beyond
his limit. The year was 1982. Embedded microprocessors were in their infancy,
and processors ran at speeds of only 10 MHz. This man was employed in an
engineering department in the early 80's at a company which designed and
built switching systems. At that time, even many colleges weren't teaching
microprocessor technology yet. His company was awarded a contract to build
two complex switching systems for one of the intelligence agencies. As
the only microprocessor engineer at the company, his task was to design
at the chip level a control processor, and write a control and operating
system. This task was dumped upon him with no warning.
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- After analyzing the situation, it was apparent to him
that his assembly language knowledge would take far too long to implement.
And he knew nothing about C language, which though in it's infancy for
embedded system in 1982 would be required. Married and the sole breadwinner
with two young children, it truly scared the living daylights out of him.
It was a do or die situation. The only other high level language he knew
before C was BASIC. This system was required to be crash-proof, since no
"software updates" would be allowed where the system was to be
installed. Back in 1982, the term "software updates" was never
used.
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- He had to learn C language, write an embedded operating
system from scratch, write the software for a long fault tolerant and self-correcting
embedded switching control program to run on it, debug it and deliver it
for final testing to manufacturing. With just two months to do it all,
there wasn't time to go find a college level C course in software engineering.
Recompiling the program required about 20 minutes, because microprocessors
were very slow 25 years ago.
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- After considerable overtime it all worked out and the
system was delivered on time. This was the first of various NASA, defense
and other systems he worked which on numerous occasions made him feel he
was sitting out on a tree limb vigorously sawing away at the branch between
me and the tree. What these and other experiences taught him was priceless
- the more he expected from himself, the more he could accomplish. People
will only excel in life to the level they aspire to and no more. If someone
sets their sights low, they can expect little or no progression towards
excellence or independence.
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- Sadly, America has become a land where people
expect federal and state governments to take care of them from cradle to
grave. This is the most foolish expectation anyone can ever have. There
is no such promise to Americans as though its some God-given right, as
President Kennedy reminded the nation in one of his speeches.
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- If we focus more on what we can GIVE to family, friends, America and
the world rather than what we can take, a far greater feeling of accomplishment
is attained. It is far better mentally to be a giver than a taker, even
if one isn't a Christian. It's also been proven to be physically healthier,
too. Those who live to give already know that life really is as the cliché
states What goes around, comes around.
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- Complacency is the enemy to progress. Accepting "one's
lot in life" is only another way to self-erect yet another barrier
to progress. To believe "I just can't do better or whine "it's
not my fault everything is going wrong" is a symptom of more self-inflicted
lies.
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- Countless real-life examples of those who worked their
way out of slums and have succeeded have proven that these axioms are only
excuses. Seeing our civil rights taken away angers me just as much as listening
to someone utter any of the countless excuses for their problems. Indeed
we tend to make most of our own problems, often through the invisible and
dangerous desire, greed.
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- There is a close family member with MS who was already
majoring in acting in college when the illness hit her. It angers her to
listen to able-bodied adults whine about their lot in life and how poor
they are. How would anyone like to have their ability to communicate be
intellectually impaired as this lady has? They will suddenly be whining
about what they SHOULD have done with their lives, only it would be too
late. Why do able-bodied people have to wait for that day to come?
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- When I completed high school there were no free lunches
in education. No Pell grants for a student to live on as "professional
students" in perpetuity. No handouts. Not being a minority closed
more doors in my face than it opened. Like many of my generation and those
before me, I had to do it the hard way without handouts.
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- Many stumble and stammer their way through life, waiting
for someone to "give them a break." Most will be on Social Security
(if it still exists) before their "break" ever comes along. A
comfortable life without taking calculated risks is merely a boring one.
I'm not talking about trying drugs, bungee jumping, sky-diving or other
pointless foolish acts of stupidity. What we are talking about here is
being an entrepreneur, changing careers (hopefully voluntarily) or some
other well-thought-out legal challenge to make one's life better. What's
the worst that can happen, it doesn't work out? So what! You can always
try again or go in a different direction!
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- If you don't know how to start or conduct a business,
or write a business plan, take a course or seek out those who do in your
locality such as retired business people. Look up your local Chamber of
Commerce or other county development agency. Every community across America seeks
to broaden the local tax base, and has plans to help get you started. If
your plan is to retire early, retire on a comfortable income or retire
without applying for an income make-up job at a box store, then plan on
thinking outside the box.
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- The American Dream should not be simply about owning
a home. It should be about having the confidence to become self-sufficient
and independent. Most people have no idea what their limits are, simply
because they have never tried to find out what they are. And how do they
find that limit? By pushing beyond it, just like those who climbMount Everest must
do to make it. All of us must climb mountains in life they are unavoidable.
Even the death of a loved one is a mountain in itself. Like climbing Mount
Everest, it's not about whether one makes it to the top but the EFFORT
put forth into trying to do so. Put in enough effort each day, and anyone
can make it to the top.
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- If someone is in good health today but has never really
applied themselves to the fullest, what will they do if sudden illness
strikes? How will they feel? Have you strived to find out what your limits
are, or just accepted "your lot in life?" Every day we live is
really a rental. Everything we own including our bodies is rented or loaned
to us - except for the mark on our spirit or soul and the mark we
make upon the world, whether it is good or bad. That mark we make on the
world is immortal and will outlive us. To hell with mediocre! No one should
accept it.
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- We must reach for the stars, for they are closer than
you think
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- Ted Twietmeyer
- tedtw@frontiernet.net
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- www.data4science.net
- www.bookonmars.info
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- Comment
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- Robert
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- Mr. Twietmeyer,
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- My son just got his Honorable Discharge from the
Marines after 5 years of active duty. I'm sure you can imagine what he's
been through. He's healthy, ambitious and remains level-headed.
Armed with only a high school education, he knows it's not enough to compete
for a good job....so he's going to college on the GI Bill to major in criminal
justice... I did the same when I returned from Viet Nam but in another
discipline. I decided to send him a letter because it would be easier
to write than speak what I wanted to say - yes, he is living with us again....
he's back in the room he grew up in. I happened to click on
your essay about 'the idiocy of accepting second best' on Jeff Rense's
site. After reading it, I was floored...It's the most inspiring and realistic
advice I could possibly give him! I couldn't put into words as well as
you did to express basically the same sentiments and advice I had for him.
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- Everything you wrote is exactly what my son needed
to hear so I just copied and pasted the entire page leaving the text intact.
(I read you on Jeff's site and admire your wide grasp of understanding
and enjoy learning your take on issues that matter). The only thing I
wish I could have added was telling him that Ted Twietmeyer must have
been reading my mind.... that this is what I want him to know and understand.
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- This essay should be required reading in every high school
and university. I don't want to sound presumptuous but I truly believe
this is the most valuable contribution you have made, especially to
young people. You nailed it. It should be in the New York Times and every
other major paper in our chaotic country. I hope you submit this to the
weekly news mags (Time, Newsweek, etc.) I can't thank you enough
for putting into words what so many of us want to convey to those that
need to know these real facts of life you've presented. You have polished
so well your wonderful gift of communicating intelligent observations to
inform and inspire a lot of people. Wow... that's awesome.
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- Wishing you and your family the best and a happy new
year.
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