Steve Jobs was lucky. How many Steve Jobs are there in the world? How many can there be? What if Steve Jobs or Bill Gates were born even 100 years earlier, before personal computers were even possible? If you want to be a doctor, then it's quite possible because we need millions of doctors. But if your dream is to be very successful in something that only needs a few successful people or can only fit a few successful people, then it's a lottery, or you have to be uniquely talented, etc. When I hear people like Oprah Winfrey or Celine Dion say you've just got to believe in yourself and pursue your dreams, then you'll be successful, it's misleading. There sample size was one person - themselves. How many hugely successful talkshow hosts can there be? How many hugely successful MOR singers can there be? In a way, modern technology has produced some democratisation. For example, you can create music using an ordinary computer - no need for years of practice and thousands of dollars anymore. Also, with the internet, you can have lots of followers by pursuing your interest and communicating well. But in those arenas, everything is more spread out and even - no one person stands out like the big stars. BTW, I would also add that wanting big success in the world is only effective if you also have the baseline happiness of being, otherwise you will pursue that happiness in the wrong place. And while it's true that the world pollutes our minds with mediocrity, it also pollutes our minds with with dreams of stardom.
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