Why do people become snobbish after reaching adulthood, especially middle age, and why should they respect you?

Unless you have strengths, unless you have something that commands respect, unless you excel in how you conduct yourself and handle matters—in other words, unless you succeed as a person.

Most people aren't heading anywhere, but if you can rise in rank among those without prospects, isn't that the very definition of personal success?

The shortest path to power is through action—by getting things done.

Only those who do things grasp the details. Master the details, and you gain significant discretion. With that, you can influence more people and take on more responsibilities. If you want to climb higher, you must rally resources, organize activities, and fulfill others' needs. When someone comes to you asking for favors, that's power. The essence of power is resource allocation; if you don't engage in doing things, you have no resources to distribute.

You gain opportunities by connecting people and facilitating deals. Once you have those opportunities, you can temporarily seize power. Use that power to snowball your influence, securing even more and greater chances to act. The essence of business is rolling a snowball—finding opportunities wherever possible, squeezing in wherever you can.

Become responsible early, and with ambition too—but not for your own small household. Instead, become the head of others' households through getting things done.