Self-Made, I think not

There is not such thing as a "self-made" man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success. ~ George Matthews Adams

The entire concept of a self-made man has never made sense to me. It always seemed like a bit of a fallacy to me. Even some of the greatest businessmen had mentors (Andrew Carnegie would not have been the man we all know in history if it wasn't for his mentor Thomas Scott).

Before I go on I want to specify what a self-made man is. I believe that people view this concept as starting something, whether a business venture or creating innovative techniques, by themselves and just picking themselves up by the bootstraps. Even the Merriam-Webster defines self-made as: made such by one's own actions; especially: having achieved success or prominence by one's own efforts.

This definition seems a bit selfish to me. It is eliminating anyone who has helped you achieve anything (Andrew Carnegie would not have had all the opportunities he had if it wasn't for Thomas Scott who saw his potential). 

Maybe this is just me, but I do not believe you can be self-made. There are too many people that you come in contact with that makes it impossible for a person to be self-made. To claim you are self-made is turning your back on all the people who were ever there for you.

For example, I had a marketing professor, who I have referenced before, who taught me to view marketing and business in such a unique way. Whenever we had to discuss a project with him and we felt we had it all together, he would ask us the question "why?" He would ask this not to be annoying or to make us doubt, but to make sure we understood exactly what we were doing. He challenged us and this has forever shaped the way I do business. If I cannot answer the question "why," then I make sure I step back and evaluate what I am doing.

Another example is my specific writing style. Each writer has their own voice, but this voice may be influenced by a favorite author or a teacher or a parent. I know that I developed my writing style during my freshman and sophomore year of h high school during my honors English classes. They have been developed over the years, but if it wasn't for these teachers I would not be able to properly edit my writing, stand behind my writing and write from my heart.

There are plenty of others who have impacted my life and I attribute my success to their guidance. I have had plenty of coaches along the way who have mentored me, cheered for me during success, and were by my side in my failure. No matter what I succeed, whether it be history worthy or making me personally proud, I would not be able to achieve it without the people who helped me become the person I am.