A study recently published by The Wall Street Journal found that Americans’ belief in their ability to attain the American Dream had dropped to an all-time low. Highlights of the poll include…
1 – Citizens who say they have a good chance of improving their standard of living fell to 25%, a record low in surveys dating to 1987.
2 – Over 75% said that they lack confidence that life for the next generation will be better than their own.
3 – Nearly 70% said that the American Dream no longer holds true or never did. This was measured at the highest level in nearly 15 years of administering the same survey.
4 – 55% of Republicans versus 90% of Democrats held a negative view of the prospects for themselves and their children.
5 – By large majorities, both women and men held a pessimistic view in the combined questions. So did younger and older adults, those with and without a college degree and respondents with more than $100,000 in household income, as well as those with less.
Let me leave you with this…
When I read this, it nearly broke my heart. We still live in the greatest country to ever grace this Big, Blue Marble, and now most people don’t think that hard work and diligence will ever pay off.
Near the end of the ’79 – ’81 depression, my Mother was operating a performing arts school at Montrose and Central in Chicago. I was a fourteen year old Sophomore at The Latin School of Chicago.
To say that times were tough was an understatement. If the Wall Street Journal Poll had been done back then, I’d be surprised if anyone at all would have had any belief in a bright future.
The bigger money in the Dance Business was selling private ballroom lessons. I think that back then, Mama was charging a whole $25 per hour for them.
Out of the blue, she took me and a couple of her teachers out to the Sizzler Steakhouse that used to be over at Clark and Peterson for a $7.95 steak and the all-you-can-eat salad bar. She proudly placed a crisp, $100 bill on the table.
Mama said, “We must be coming out of this bad economy. One of our students paid for their lessons with this bill. I haven’t seen one of these for three years.”
Working through that mess, doing whatever I could to help the family business, taught me one thing. I learned that no matter what happens, you…
Never Give Up.
Can anyone remember what happened after the ’81 Recession? It was probably one of the best times in American History called the Eighties.
Every year you work in this life isn’t going to be great. Few people hit it big when they’re in their twenties or thirties. You need to learn to…
Never Give Up.
I’ve failed more in this life than even I can count. Success as an Entrepreneur is all about learning how to fail well.
Catastrophic mistakes became my constant companion, but I never let depression take over. I went home, licked my wounds, and learned.
I studied those decisions like the master class in entrepreneuring that they were. Every new time I failed I could tell that I was getting better, that I was learning, and that someday things would be better. Mostly I learned how to…
Never Give Up.
We all know that 90% of businesses fail in the first year, but that doesn’t tell you much. The question is, what percentage of businesses make it to their 20th year of operation?
Good numbers are difficult to come by when asking this question because there are those who go in and out of the same business many times. But the best number I’ve seen is 1.7%.
Only 1.7% of us make it to their 20th year in business.
As an entrepreneur, the road is rough. The nights are long. The risks are real. Few are called and fewer still survive. But those who make it have one thing in common. We…
Never Give Up.
If you’re having a rough year, I’m sorry. This isn’t an easy economy for anyone, but crying about it and losing faith in the future won’t do anything for you. That road leads only to despair and bankruptcy.
So buck up buttercup, and grow a pair. If this was easy, everyone would do it. Take a moment and remember that this truly is the greatest country in the world.
Where else could a kid like me who grew up in a $200 a month apartment in Uptown, who’s a third Native and a sixth Black become the multimillionaire I am today? And how did I do it?
I worked my butt off, had faith in the American Dream, and learned to…
Never Give Up.
Don’t screw around. Get to it already. Every problem has a solution, and as an entrepreneur you can find that solution.
If you need to talk, you know my number…
We’re all going to get through this. Let’s get through it together.
Accounting Solutions Ltd. stands ready to complete our mission and purpose of protecting you, your family, and your business. Whether you need Payroll Services, or Accounting and Tax Work, you have but to ask. I’m here and I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Chris Amundson
President
Accounting Solutions Ltd.
773-267-7500
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