Smart Enough to Know I'm Not

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A fool and his money are soon parted. It's a saying we've all heard a million times. Here's the thing. I made it a life's goal to not be a fool. So, I take great care with my money. I save every penny I can. I keep what I can. I invest what I can. Hopefully I do all of that wisely, because it matters, and I don't want to part with my money. I have done all right. I'm not on the Forbes list, and I am not a decamillionaire. But I am quite comfortable. Part of that is because I listen to the right people. And because I've listened to the right people. Makes sense, right? Or at least it should. Why listen to the fools? I want to hear what is said by those who have made it, because it's clear to me they know more than the guy who hasn't. Am I greedy because I might gladly take money from a fool? No. Is it my fault I did my homework and they didn't? No. Is it my fault I know what a good deal is and they don't? No. Does it make me a bad person? Unfair? Thoughtless? Inhumane? Insensitive? Lacking compassion for my fellow man? NO. It simply makes me informed as someone who actually took the time to seek the information. But here's the fun part. The interesting part. People "in the know" tend to share what they know. They don't keep it as some guarded secret only available to an elite group of people in a special club. They write books. They write articles and blogs. They make YouTube videos. They share the secrets. They make the information available. Those who succeed share their successes not to brag about the success they have achieved. They share it to show what's possible if you listen and follow their lead, and ignore the static. People like me hear the story and the possibility. But what do the fools hear? The brag. The fluff. The chest pounding. And what do they cling to? The impossibility. The same song and dance every other fool in their league of fools has told them. The rich are greedy, the system is rigged and unfair, getting ahead is impossible, and everyone's out to get you. There's a very important point many people miss. The greedy rich have spent an awful lot of time actually trying to close the gap. They have worked hard, over the years, trying to explain the details and make the elite status they hold more mainstream. They don't hold anything back. They say, "This is possible and here's how it can be done." They share their rags to riches stories with pride, but also to show what you can do if you put everything into it, and into understanding it. There is a terrible gap between the rich and the poor. There is no doubt about that. But what is more often the case than not is that those who become rich listen, and those who remain poor do not. To the advice. To the stories. To the lessons. A fool believes he is the wise man with all the answers already at his disposal. He already thinks he's the smartest man in the room. But those who become rich? They realize they aren't as smart, and they seek the answers to become truly smart. They are humble in their lack of knowledge, and accept it, and seek to become wiser by asking questions they are fully aware they don't have the answers to. Being a fool does not mean you are necessarily dumb. It just means you already think you're smart.