Chutzpah Really Works!

Children are taught both at home and in school to follow the rules. You have to do this, you cannot do that. Adults want their children to be easy – so they teach them that disobeying parents, teachers, principals, and even any adult is considered to be “chutzpah”. And acting with chutzpah – they are taught from a young age – is the ultimate sin.

Now that you are an adult, look around you and find just about any successful person that you are familiar with their history. Most of them got to be where they are with chutzpah. If he is a successful businessman, it was because he was willing to try something no one else would do, or was aggressive like no one else. That’s called breaking the rules.

Even Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva succeed through chutzpah. Rav Aaron Kotler had the ultimate degree of chutzpah – he opened a yeshiva in America that didn’t allow the bochurim to attend college! He angered so many people with that rule. Now, Lakewood is the biggest yeshiva in the world. Rav Eli Sorotzkin started his yeshiva in Springfield NJ while ignoring the screaming and strong oppostion to it from the community. Now, his yeshiva is booming and it is used as an example for other yeshivos that are starting out (e.g. Roosevelt).

Almost never does the quiet guy in the corner doing his job faithfully day in and day out get the promotion. Instead, it goes to the person who makes the most “good noise”. Being quiet and following the rules are not signs of leadership. If you want to get places in life, it requires you to have chutzpah.

Of course, it takes skill to determine when chutzpah is good, and when it is distasteful and wrong. If you do things that turn people off, you will not be a successful person. However, just remember that if your child is chutzpadik, don’t think it is such a bad thing. Maybe one day he’ll be a somebody. Don’t stifle his tendencies. You’d be better off channeling his chutzpah for good. That way, you’ll help develop his tendencies to do things that no one else would do. Maybe one day he will become a successful person that  you always dreamed for.

Chutzpah Really Works!

Filed Under: Business Tips • Career Advice

Tags: chutzpah • college • lakewood • r aaron kotler • success