Reasons behind why people are successful

Recently, I actually found time to read.

My mom brought home this interesting book called “The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America.”

This book is by Jed Rubenfield and Amy Chua, and it revolves around discussing the three traits that cause the success of cultural groups in the United States.

This book claims that the three traits that drive successful cultural groups are pride in ancestry/culture, insecurity and impulse control. I can see how this works.

You just have to look at a few of the groups and then you see the pattern: Mormons, Asians, Jews and more have huge representation in today’s successful people more than other groups. Jews are proud of being Jews; they are the chosen people, and are very successful now. Parents of Asian students are generally never satisfied with their grades. Mormons have incredible self-control in today’s society that screams “Treat yourself!”

However, not all successful people from cultural groups are known for rising above the rest. I look at my dad’s side of the family for this example. The only real cultural connection our family has is American – we’ve lived in the United States since the country was born.

The McCamants have had some people who were really successful in the past, but nothing was expected of many of the recent ones.

My dad did not come from a wealthy family at all, and they had no expectations of him. He carved out his own way to get his education paid for. Now, my dad has a career that is perfect for him, and you could never guess his background.

Several of my cousins didn’t have any expectations either. They got into the nation’s top colleges and are now really well off. So, what drives my family?

I think that the biggest factor driving certain members in my family was insecurity, as well as a strong sense of right and wrong. My dad knew that he needed to get in a better place and that he would have no help. My cousins were aware of the fact that although my aunt would work hard to support them, they needed to get into a place that would really help them out financially and career wise. They had no security blanket from family members if they failed.

Insecurity is also what I think drives a lot of my peers. At Frazee, many kids do have parents pressuring them. However, a lot of their drive comes from within so that they can get a good scholarship so that going to college can be possible.

People around here are part of where they are from, but our country pride doesn’t give us an edge to work harder. The students at my school in my grade are driven because we know how expensive college is, and there is hardly anyone who can easily afford it.

I’m a little different from my peers in the fact that I don’t have any pressure from my parents at all. I try my best, and my parents realize that. I know that if I decided to slack off all of a sudden (which will never happen), they would probably step in, but they’ve never needed to do that.

I have realized that insecurity is what drives me, like so many others. I know what I want to do in my life, and I know how to get there. My top colleges are not easy to get in to, and I know that other students applying to them are highly qualified.

For international relations, going to a school with a lot of connections would give me a big boost. However, it is in no way easy getting into my chosen list of top five colleges.

Being proud of your heritage may help you be successful. Impulse control is always handy. What really stands out as the main factor for people being successful to me, though, is insecurity. Until you are where you want to be in life, you have to work your butt off to get there.

Holly McCamant is a junior at Frazee-Vergas High School.