There is no such thing as a self-made billionaire. Luck is such a huge factor that it makes the other characteristics irrelevant.
I think that there is more to learn about life from a bum on the streets than from a billionaire.
I think that there is more to learn about life from a bum on the streets than from a billionaire.
I've learned that a lot of millionaires are not very intelligent; they're just incredibly persistent. They can do the exact same thing, despite failure, for nearly a decade and end up gathering a reputation for it. Whereas most people would just give up and change careers in the middle. There's also an element of luck here - Bubba Gump comes to mind. But sometimes luck is just being in the right position at the right time, and there is a methodology to being in that position.
Everybody and everybody's mum has a 'prepared mind'. The kind of basic level of intelligence that's required for earning a billion dollars is extremely common among the general population. Billionaires are not geniuses; they have slightly above average intelligence and/or skill.
The pool of people who have 'slightly above average intelligence and/or skill' is massive. Hundreds of millions of people. On the other hand, the pool of people who are billionaires is tiny in the thousands. It's easy to see why it's a lottery.