MOST fundamentally, groups rise and fall over time. The fortunes of WASP elites have been declining for decades. In 1960, second-generation Greek-Americans reportedly had the second-highest income of any census-tracked group. Group success in America often tends to dissipate after two generations. Thus while Asian-American kids overall had SAT scores 143 points above average in 2012 — including a 63-point edge over whites — a 2005 study of over 20,000 adolescents found that third-generation Asian-American students performed no better academically than white students.

The fact that groups rise and fall this way punctures the whole idea of “model minorities” or that groups succeed because of innate, biological differences. Rather, there are cultural forces at work.

It turns out that for all their diversity, the strikingly successful groups in America today share three traits that, together, propel success. The first is a superiority complex — a deep-seated belief in their exceptionality. The second appears to be the opposite — insecurity, a feeling that you or what you’ve done is not good enough. The third is impulse control.

American parents, by contrast, seem fixated on building children's social skills and self-esteem.

Neither of which is good for testing well.

Neither of which is good for ambition.

It takes grit, drive, and luck to break out. Without the grit and drive... no break out.

yay Grit!

Yay Grit: http://pandawhale.com/ifindkarma/grit

What drives "success" is the feeling of inferiority.  

If I do this, get this, learn this, look like this...... I will be better or feel better or others will think I am better. 

Even those that act superior are inferior otherwise they would not feel the need to act or control. 

The drive for success creates more problems.  I advise against it. 

Yeah, the article says insecurity is the #2 driver of success, after belief in exceptionality.

What I am saying is superiority/inferiority is the same thing.   It is a competition, both in self and others.  It is all about "winning" (I would include Charlie Sheen gif if I did that kind of thing)

What if we start from equanimity and humility and understanding of how fortunate we are to even be alive?  Then all we do is try to help the outcome is irrelevant. Sometimes it seems we help other times we fail. 

Compassion is not the kind of success this article is talking about.

Superiority, inferiority and impulse control (good ole delayed gratification):

"Those who talk of America’s “decline” miss this crucial point. America has always been at its best when it has had to overcome adversity and prove its mettle on the world stage. For better and worse, it has that opportunity again today."

I'd like to think for better.

There's an interesting assumption here (as I read it) that "success" is equal to money/power. 

I'm hypothesizing here: If money/power is seen as a scarcity to the first generation, that's what they will go for. Subsequent generations - seeing that money/power is readily achievable but happiness is scarce may choose a different path and be quite successful by their own success metrics without the jet.

That's a good explanation for why subsequent generations do not seem as interested in money/power.