Axiom 57: 'No' Doesn't Always Mean 'No'

"A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success." -Elbert Hubbard

"About the only problem with success is that is does not teach you how to deal with failure." 

-Tommy Lasorda

I started band when I entered middle school. I hastily picked the french horn as the instrument I chose to learn. As that first year of band progressed my french horn skills did not. I was awful. I still remember playing a rendition of "Good King Wenceslas" that was so wretched that I could see the look of disgust on the band directors face.

As the year came to a close I was miserable playing that instrument. I was considering giving up and quitting band. I just had to get through one last concert with the french horn and then I would be done with band for the year. However, something interesting happened at that concert.

For the first time I noticed the percussion section playing. I was mesmerized as they jammed out a drum solo to the song Wild Thing and from that moment on wanted to play drums in the band. I went to the band director soon after and confessed that I wanted to switch from french horn to drums. His answer was a quick "no".

I couldn't blame him. I was so awful at french horn and if I switch instruments I would be a year behind. I told my parents about wanting to switch and they went with me to talk with the band director again. After a meeting with him the answer was still "no".

I was ready to give up and move on, but the lesson I learned next shaped the tenacity that I have retained to this day. My parents asked me how bad I wanted to play percussion and I convinced them that my interest was genuine. With that they enrolled me in private lessons for the summer.

They called the band director up on the phone. They told him I was taking private lessons to catch up a year. He finally agreed to let me audition at the beginning of the year. If I was good enough I could switch to percussion.

I practiced all summer long. For once I enjoyed playing a musical instrument. My private instructor had me playing high school level sheet music by the end of the summer. Needless to say I came back to school the following year and played percussion. I went on to play the drum set in jazz band and became lead snare drum and drum line leader in high school my sophomore year.

I refused to take no for an answer and because of that I came out a better person.

Let someone else's "no" motivate you to prove them wrong rather than stop you dead in your tracks.  

Montgomery Inn Ribs Review

The best ribs I've ever eaten were in Cincinnati.... that's right Cincinnati.

I am a native Texan that has eaten my fair share of ribs.... and until a visit to Montgomery Inn I probably would have told you that Corky's in Memphis was the ribs king.

In fact, above is a picture of me eating at Corky's just a few days prior to my visit to Montgomery Inn. At the time the thought of any ribs being better than Corky's was laughable. I was wrong, and you're looking at a delusional man in that picture that had not yet seen the light of Montgomery Inn.  

I chuckled to myself as I read Montgomery Inn's menu for the first time... "you will forsake all other ribs after just one bite."

Those are big claims. Very big claims.

The restaurant was started by the Gregory family (no relation). I ate at the original location and the atmosphere was quite roomy and enjoyable. The place is actually pretty big for a restaurant. 

I ordered the ribs and Saratoga chips (potato chips made in house), and was fitted with a bib. Everyone eating ribs gets a bib to wear, and you'll probably feel out of place if you don't wear the bib.

But the main question is - How good were the ribs, really?

They were amazing! The sauce was sweet and had a great flavor, but the meat was what truly made these ribs better than the rest. Every single rib was cooked to perfection. They were fall-off-the-bone tender and consistent. Consistency was something that Corky's and the other places lacked. With the other guys you may eat a few really amazing ribs and then hit a few tough ribs, or bone fragments, or fat. This was not the issue with Montgomery Inn's ribs.

So that is why the rib mecca is in east Cincinnati at Montgomery Inn, and if you tell yourself otherwise you're living a lie. 

Axiom 56: Pay No Attention to Social Inequality

"The worst form of inequality it to try to make unequal things equal." -Aristotle

When you hear the words "social inequality" they are usually accompanied by an argument that goes something like this:

The rich are getting richer at the expense of poor, who are getting poorer. The poor are being exploited by greedy capitalists (top 1%). If the government doesn't step in and balance this inequality the threat of social class warfare will increase.

I will not dispute the facts that the rich are indeed getting richer, and the salaries of the poorest Americans are stagnant or declining. However, if you truly believe that the rich have prevented your personal success then you are small-time thinker that dwells on obstacles instead of opportunities. You're not in a war-torn African country, a servant in a medieval monarchy, or a factory worker in small town during the American industrial revolution. In modern day America opportunities are endless for all social classes, regardless of wealth.

I argue that social inequality does not prevent some from succeeding, only a hard-work inequality does that.

If the richest Americans were, in fact, holding back the poorest Americans then you would see very few self-made millionaires and billionaires. Instead you would have the majority of wealth inherited through generations. However, this is not at all the case.

A Fidelity survey found that 86 percent of millionaires are self-made. Another study found that 69 percent of billionaires were self-made, most coming from modest middle class families. Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos all came from modest backgrounds and created powerhouse companies. Let's not also forget about the countless millionaires these guys created in their wake. I've yet to hear one of these guys complain that the upper class prevented their success in life.

But what about monopolies? What about Wal-Mart? They are destroying America and enslaving people, right?

The fact is that Wal-Mart as much as it seems like a job crushing, soul stealing monster has some redeemable qualities. You must also remember that Wal-Mart offers mostly jobs, not careers. It's a great place for a young person to go work part-time while they are in college. However, if you are a 55 year old working there full-time as a cashier complaining about the low pay then I don't see how Wal-Mart is to blame. It was your choices in life that lead you to the position you are in, for better or worse.

People that are smart, patient, that work hard, that are dependable, and emotionally stable move up the corporate ladder or create their own opportunities for success in the business world. People that are dumb, lazy, impatient, crazy, socially awkward, and unreliable will never achieve lasting success. It is as simple as that. If you are not where you want to be in life don't blame the rich guy, re-read this paragraph instead. 

As for monopolies, nothing lasts forever. Companies rise and fall all the time, even the biggest ones. Even companies like Wal-Mart may not be around in 20 years as their competitors find better ways to service customers. 

While you may not accept my previous points based on your political bias, please hear me out on this last one. Now in America, more than any other time in history, you have a standard of living and opportunities that have never existed previously. It is now that even the poorest American have cell phones, computers, cable tv, cars, and many other luxury items. And yes I use the term "luxury" items. Kings would have killed for these items a hundred years ago.

Only just recently can almost anyone, regardless of income, take out a federal loan and attended college, or educate themselves for free online. Only now can someone easily incorporate a business for a few hundred dollars, hire a factory overseas to make a product, and sell a product worldwide. Do you realize you can do this all online by yourself in a few hours? This was something only the wealthiest Americans could do just a few decades ago.

Let me finish by saying this - If you are complaining about social inequality to help the poor as a whole then I commend you. We will always need low wage service workers in this country and no one wants to see others exploited for extremely low wages. However, if you are complaining about social inequality because it is the scapegoat to your own failure in life then shame on you. Take a step back and re-examine what you've done with your life because America still is the land of opportunity where anyone can take a little and turn it into a lot.