[extropy-chat] Why Australians will never be prosperous

J. Andrew Rogers andrew at ceruleansystems.com
Fri Jul 8 17:16:48 UTC 2005


Dan wrote:
> I thought I heard or read of similar claims with Americans?
> I don't think a declining satisfaction will stop most people
> from chasing after wealth.


In countries where wealth is primarily self-made, which would include
the USA and probably Australia (but not most countries in western
Europe), I would *expect* declining satisfaction in the wealthiest
individuals -- it is a self-selecting population.

One of the key characteristics of really successful entrepreneurs is
that they are "hungry" by nature i.e. they are never satisfied.  In
Silicon Valley, being "hungry" is often considered a non-negotiable
characteristic of core team members when building new companies.  There
is a strong correlation between this property and business success,
which puts a lot of the wealth in their hands as a group.  This is also
why successful entrepreneurs rarely retire, going on to more ventures. 
They are driven toward stressful environments with hard problems to tackle.


This may not explain all of it, but I'll bet it explains some of it. 
Most successful entrepreneurs I know are as dissatisfied after they have
millions in the bank as when they were first starting out.  The money is
somewhat immaterial toward that end.  They may not be unhappy per se,
but they are hardly ever satisfied.


cheers,

j. andrew rogers




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