Generally speaking, of course.

I can understand that a person born into a poor third-world country is probably destined for poverty. But what about people living in first-world countries? Specifically, nations that offer oppurtunity (especially educational oppurtunity) to similar degree to that of the United States. There are plenty of resources available to citizens of these nations. Even if born into poverty, I think it’s still possible for these people to attain a respectable standard of living if they’re willing to put in the effort.

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This is basically just me ranting about my observations of unsuccessful people.

Where I live, nearly everyone who can’t easily find success blames it on their environment, the government, destiny, etc. rather than their own actions. It’s their own fault that they didn’t perform well in high school to get into a University. And even if they couldn’t afford University or messed up in high school, there are still plenty of options. There is still community college which is extremely cheap – it’s actually free for low-income students (at least, it is here).

One thing I’ve noticed where I live is too many people dismiss college/university as impossible without even trying. For example, many of my family members & schoolmates claim they aren’t built for school, that there’s something wrong with them that they have no control over. But when I tell them to actually study for SCHOOL, they laugh as if I’ve said something absurd. They think school – and success in general – should come with no effort, and when it doesn’t, they dismiss it altogether. I've yet to meet a person who genuinely put forth sufficient effort, yet still failed with school.

Also, too many people I’ve seen who do go to college choose majors with absolutely no d emand. These people’s problems are simply a lack of planning and research though, or unrealistic dreams, rather than outright laziness. They have at least tried, so I give them respect for that.  But even if someone thinks they’re inherently incapable of college (which I don't believe is the case for most people), there are still options. Apprenticeships and trade schools, for example, can lead to fairly successful jobs for those who choose not to go to college. Electricians for example make quite a bit of money. 

With the already mentioned oppurtunities plus plenty more, it really irks me when people complain they have no options, they are destined for failure, they were born into an unfair environment, etc. The problem with most people is the inside, not the outside. They simply aren’t active enough (or at all) in attaining success. I realize there are exceptions though. I understand that some people are incapable of school, or are stuck in odd circumstances that prevent them from moving forward. But I think for the most part, people do have potential to go really far in life, but for whatever reason, they do not take advantage of it. 

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I know I'm no expert on the structure of other nations, but I think it's similar in other top-tier First World nations. What do you think? In First World Nations, specifically those as prosperous as the United States, are most unsuccessful adults unsuccessful because of their own actions? What have been your own experiences with people refusing to take advantage of their options? 

Yes, unless they have some sort of physical or mental disability.

Yes, but it is harder to push yourself to succeed in poorer, less structured or isolated environments. You have to be both smart and aware of how the world works to realise how to get 'out' of a bad home situation.

I agree people all too often blame things other than themselves for their lack of success. But realising the easiest way to get what you want is part of being intelligent as well. Like you could study 100% of everything by rote for a test,or learn a few simple rules or points that allow you to extrapolate to a good answer for most of what comes up.

I agree. Often its laziness or mistakes which lead to poverty in the United States. Coming from a family at the bottom 5 percentile and a slightly below average area this is evident to me. Historically this was not a problem though because we had a production economy not a service economy, and finding a job without college or other prerequisite was easy. As soon as one grows up and tried they could join the workforce. With a service economy though, planning and education is crucial.

In most cases yes, but a lot of it is the government's fault. There isn't the same opportunity to succeed and get rich now as there was 25 years ago thank to government intervention (regulation, taxes, laws, etc.)

For the most part yes. Not to act big or anything but I had to work my backside off to get straight A's and get into the university I'm in, since its quite prestigious. Only two people including me out of my entire year got in and the other person was my close friend who also worked extremely hard like me. Some people think that individuals who achieve great things or get to high positions are born genius, but this is not the case. You have to work extremely hard whether you have talent or not.

While I was studying most other kids were wasting time drinking alcohol, smoking drugs or partying. But at the end of the day that was their choice. No one forced them.

depends on if you consider parents screwing them up as kids which influenced who they are as adults.  If you ignore upbringing, then sure, everybody is responsible for their own actions.  However, if they never learned how to make good choices because of messed up childhood... I don't know...

For anyone without learning or other serious disabilities, without a seriously low iq or eq and coming from a reasonably stable environment, 100% yes.
Otherwise they could use some help to still become successful.

People are lazy and blame everybody but themselves. You are right Jay, never thought I'd say that ;P

"Life is like a game of cards.
The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will." ~ Jawaharal Nehru