[WINii] The American Dream was a lie

Hi WINers!

When you think of the American Dream, what comes to mind? It usually goes something like this: graduate from a prestigious college, land a high-paying job, buy a beautiful home, find the right partner, get married, get divorced, and all the while, build a nest egg to retire drinking cocktails with little umbrellas on the beach.

Is this true?

In this edition, we’re diving into data that reveals the American Dream is far more personally driven than the social benchmarks we've been taught to chase.

Also, Christy shares her unconventional path into tech. As the child of an immigrant, Christy became disillusioned with the traditional American Dream. Instead, she carved out her own unique path with grit and luck to become a conversational designer at startups and corporations.

Here we go! 👇

💪 Hustle, Tenacity, and Luck

 Christy Torres was disillusioned with the American Dream. Coming from an immigrant family, she bought into the message we hear day in and day out: that her college degree will be her ticket to success.

Plot twist: it wasn't. In reality, Christy's success was due to a combination of hustle, tenacity, and the secret sauce: a dash of luck. 

She started her own company when opportunities were slim and made a commitment to hit up every networking event she could attend. The lucky break Christy received was all made possible through her hard work and determination. 

In my conversation with Christy, she shares all the details of her career and money journey and what it's like to be a conversation designer. We also discuss our experiences as third culture kids, how our upbringing shaped our level of financial literacy, and the power of having a network.

Watch Christy's episode of WINii: MoneyBites here 👇

🎧 Listen on Spotify 

🤔 Living the American Dream?

In a famous joke about the American Dream, late comedian George Carlin said we call it that because you have to be asleep to believe it! 😆

All joking aside, perhaps we do have a misunderstanding of the American Dream and what it means to us in terms of fulfillment and happiness. 

In Populace's Success Index, researchers looked at the attributes people use to define success and the American Dream. Their findings may surprise you: 

"Out of 61 attributes tested, over half (52%) had a gap of 20 or more ranks between how Americans prioritize them and how they think most other Americans prioritize those same attributes. 

These “collective illusions” are so widespread that there is not a single demographic group in the country that has an accurate view of how most Americans define a successful life and the American Dream."

👉 In other words, success is way more individualized than we may think.

Here are some more interesting takeaways from the Success Index:

• Half of Americans’ top 10 priorities for success are about a meaningful life, including doing work that has a positive impact, having a purpose in life, and being involved in their community.

• Being rich is ranked in the bottom third of all priorities (45 of 61), but interestingly, Americans believe most other people would rank it at the top.

• In their view of success, Americans overwhelmingly rank character over status. Each character-related attribute in the Index was ranked higher than every status-related attribute in their priorities for a successful life.

What's been your experience with the American Dream? What does it mean to you? 

Hit reply and tell us about it!

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Minki
Founder, WINii
Making wealth building actionable for women in tech. Empowering a million women to become millionaires!