80th Edition
After posting a recent blog about the American Dream, I received several responses all asking me to define or at least elaborate on today’s definition of the American Dream. Let me try to give that a shot.
First of all, there is no one specific American Dream, especially when it comes to the details of how it is pursued. Some people have a dream to play for the New York Yankees. Some dream about inventing the light bulb, others dream about being the first astronaut in space. The list is endless. Thankfully, in our country, anyone can dream as big as they want to. Of course, anyone can choose not to dream. Although, as a lifelong dreamer, I have no concept of how that could be possible. So, from this perspective, the how a dream is pursued is very personal.
Not surprisingly, dreams of amazing discovery or breathtaking accomplishment occur all over the world. The American Dream isn’t a concept that exists only in America. But somehow in our relatively brief history, we’ve coined that phrase.
At its heart, the American Dream is a concept that focuses more on the why, than on the how. The why is essentially the motivation to search for something better, to not settle, to push beyond conventional thought and current norms. To discover or accomplish something that no one ever has.
I would contend that the why has always existed in our country and still exists today. The early settlers and the generation that produced the Founding Fathers all came to this extraordinary new land in search of a better life. Without this why, our country never would have been founded, nor would it exist today as the nation that has produced more wealth and prosperity all the while providing the means for more people to rise out of poverty than any country in the history of the planet. The why is everything.
Individuals with the courage to explore and think unconventionally employ dogged determination as they follow their dreams wherever they lead and are not easily discouraged by setbacks and hardships. They tend to be inspired by challenges and disappointments, as they battle on with unshakable confidence and conviction.
The biggest risk to the American Dream today is complacency. Some contend we’ve lost the proverbial chip on our shoulder. Since we have already achieved so much, what is there left to dream about? There will always be individual dreamers, like Elon Musk, or thousands of kids out in the backyard playing ball, trying to shoot like Curry or swing like Tiger. But culturally, we may be losing our resoluteness. We search for easy fixes, blame our failures on someone else, and give up too quickly. Instead of dogged determination we have FOMO. Instead of perseverance we demand technological shortcuts. In many ways, we’ve lost our mental toughness and rely too much on the ever-expanding nanny state to solve our problems.
Those who are skeptical of the American Dream today question our obsession with materialism and wealth creation. Personally, I find nothing wrong with a person dreaming about becoming wealthy, as long as he pursues his dream with integrity and thankfulness. The integrity part should be a given, but it surely isn’t today. Personal integrity isn’t something our society values highly anymore.
Thankfulness can be manifested in multiple ways and is imperative for several reasons. First, it is the glue that connects people, rich and poor, privileged and disadvantaged. No one achieves anything all by themselves. Giving back, remembering where you came from, being generous and charitable are all expressions of thankfulness. We have wonderful roles models who demonstrate this today. We also have too many people who have replaced thankfulness with a sense of entitlement.
For the American Dream to be a significant part of the lives of future generations, parents and grandparents need to accept the responsibility of planting and encouraging kids to dream, and to dream BIG. But they also need to teach determination, mental toughness, and a strong work ethic. We often make things way too easy for kids today. Dreams don’t die because they are too difficult to achieve, they die because achievement is too easy. Struggle and even failure not only sustain dreams they actually fertilize and strengthen them.
Perhaps the most noble American Dreams are those we fall short of accomplishing. We can learn much about ourselves and about our creator by failing. Perhaps even more than when we succeed. I’ve experienced that firsthand in the game of golf. When I practice now, I try to encourage aspiring young golfers as much as I can. Maybe someday they will finally hit a 2-iron just like Tiger. If they are lucky, after their hands are blistered and sore, when drops of sweat sting their eyes, as they refuse to stop practicing alone on a dark and desolate driving range, they might get a glimpse of why pursuing a dream, with every ounce of their ability and strength, is the only way they will become the person God created them to be.
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Michael Kayes
*These views are my personal opinions and are not the viewpoints of any company or organization.