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 “Make your work to be in keeping with your purpose.”

– Leonardo da Vinci

So last week I read an article about how some rich families have been paying bribes to get their children into Ivy League Schools. We are talking the likes of Yale, Georgetown and Harvard. One family reportedly paid about $6m for 2 children. Overall there’s been about $27m paid by 33 families in bribes.

Now this had me thinking. If you are willing to pay $6m for your child to go to school, how much money are they making?

And why are they even trying to get their children into Havard through bribes if they are that wealthy? And there it dawned on me. The elite are not trying to lose their “eliteness” at the expense of your talent.

I want you to see something here. Do you realise how much effort you are going to need to put in if you are going to pry your piece of the pie from the haves when you are a have not?

You are doing your best. Literally killing the game at whatever you do to get you to a place where you can be part of the haves but they are sabotaging your efforts through their influence.

We are in a world were the haves are not going to let you just walk in and sit at the table. It doesn’t matter how talented or how hardworking you are. They are just not going to hand the keys over to you. They are not trying to lose.

So you begin at the bottom. Your ambition is to put in work to get you to the top. When you get to the top you are not offered a seat but you are given a thank you for being loyal.

This made me realise that just because you are the best cotton picker on the field that doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to own the land.

So if talent, hardwork and being a good person are not enough then what is? Access.

I have always been big on “tribes” and the reason is as clear as a parent paying $6m to get their child into university. It is all about access to other like minds. If you are not in an environment where you have access to resources that you lack it is going to take you longer to embrace your purpose. There is a saying that goes “if you want to go fast then go alone but if you want to go further then go together”.

Essentially what this means is other people are critical to your success and you cannot achieve it ALL by yourself.

Eduardo Saverin and Mark Zuckerburg met at Harvard, they worked together to launch Facebook in 2004. In 2012 Saverin owned 53 million Facebook shares valued at approximately $2b at the time. Now we all know their story after that. Being at Harvard at the same time turned both of them into billionaires.

Saverin was one of the main sources of the book aptly titled The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding Of Facebook.

Now we do not know if this would have been possible if they had attended different schools. It does however echo my sentiment that finding the right environment will help you achieve your desired result.

Make it a habit to surround yourself with individuals that give you access. Access to their resources that you do not have. Attend business seminars even if you do not have a business. Join a gym or charity, serve at elite events. Expose yourself to the world of the haves even if you are a have not.

To begin the process of finding your tribe and clarifying your purpose track with these five steps:

1 Evaluate your reality – Are you weaker in one area or another, or both?

2 Pick your starting point – Are you starting with tribe or purpose?

3 Lean in and find your people – Look for those deep and rich connections and i am not talking about money but access.

4 Refine and rewrite your purpose – Purpose is both discovered and created.

5 Set the bar high – With a great tribe and compelling purpose there’s no limit to what you can achieve and contribute.

You might be a talented have not today but with the right connections you could achieve your purpose.

Share with us your thoughts in the comments section.