A tale of two brothers

I once read about a researcher who was interested in how the life of siblings often went in two opposite directions.

To find out, he started interviewing families where one of the children was a success and the other was a failure.

In one particular family, there was one brother that did well at school, went to university, had a great career and a loving family. He was a typical adult that was successful.

The other brother dropped out of school, took a few minimum wage jobs, was drunk most of the time, and spent some time in prison.

The researched asked the brother that had been in prison, why he thought his life had ended up like it did.

He replied that it was all his father’s fault. Like him, his father was a drunk and a petty criminal. With such a role model, it was obvious that he would also turn out to be just like his father. There was no other choice.

The researcher then asked the more successful brother the same question. He said that his father had spent his life as a drunk and a petty criminal. With such a role model, it was obvious that he couldn’t possibly follow in his father’s footsteps. There was no other choice.

Two brothers. Same father. Different paths in life.

Don’t make excuses about why your life turned out badly.

Take responsibility for your actions.