Perception

There are certain characteristics to which friends, colleagues and I seem to measure ourselves against when considering how happy we are. Money and influence are huge factors, whether the respondent is a subscriber or not, but a...re these really the symptoms of humanity? Are we comparing life or lifestyles?

Friends, I live in an apartment and have less than four figures in my savings account. Does that make me less alive? I think not. For those outside of the financial core of influence, we must learn to measure ourselves against something greater, something that the rich can not buy. It has to do with ourselves, how we relate to and communicate to those in our immediate social circles.

You, reading this post, are the arbiter for your group whether you believe it or not. It's up to you to introduce new ideas and keep those in communion with you on their toes. We're getting to a time where, finally, knowledge and common sense are prized over authority and manipulation and the 'old boy' bull is being ostracized. What we need to realize is that, at the end of the day, amongst the old minds: it's up to you to bring it home.

Study something outside your comfort zone. MIT, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale and Stanton offer free courses on iTunes and across the internet. Take advantage of them. Each class you study earnestly is a class that the elite took for granted. Appreciate that edge. Use it to your advantage. Fight, win and show that nothing is beyond you. Put it on your resume and talk about it passionately. Do it for your family, do it for your friends and most importantly, do it for yourself.

- Brandon S. Heal

Mansions are built to distract us from observing the people within.