I was watching one of my favorite movies, " Fiddler on the Roof", when the main character, Tevye, sang one of the signature songs, " If I were a Rich Man.".  IN the song, he enumerated that if he were rich, people would flock to him for advice, and it wouldn’t matter what he says - people would think he was smart.

Indeed one of the things that constantly haunts everybody, especially entrepreneurs,  is the unanswered question that others seemingly keep throwing at you — if you were so smart, why aren’t you making more money?

It seems that by default, people associate your intelligence with your ability to make money, and even idiots with money are treated with grudging respect.

 However, as I see more, and learn more,  I have to conclude that there are many smart people who are not rich, or who choose not to be as rich.  They are intelligent enough to know that there are other more important things in life that brings happiness.  But the other thing i  conclude is that while intelligence is contributory to the ability to make above average income, it is not the factor that will land you on the top 10 percent of the wealthiest.

In short, to get outrageously rich, it is not the brain that is important, it is the stomach.

Witness yourself driving the highway.  YOu may be the best driver in the world, and you may have the fastest car in the world, but you may choose to drive safely in the highway.  I flatter myself that I can drive competently at 110 mph, and there was a time I rented a v8 machine that could easily do it.  However, I choose to drive slower, enjoy the scenery, and every few minutes, a car, many of them with much smaller horsepower than my car, and some driven obviously by people who were much older, and probably slower reflexes than I have, but they choose to take the risk, drive faster and even taunt the highway speed limits.

In short, they are driving faster not because of ability, but because they choose to take the risk.  If they can drive faster without accident, then they are lucky, and they pat themselves in the back.  If they have an accident, then woe ( you won’t read them in the papers as a business or driving success, but in the obituary column or in bankruptcy court).

Such things happen continually in business.  The other day, I was debating myself when stocks were going lower, whether I had the stomach to take the risk, and start buying…. I had the cash, but doing so would be fraught with risk — if I guess right, I would get a hugh return, but if not, then I would have setbacks.  But if I had even chosen to borrow to the limit, I would have easily doubled my income this year already — but of course, if I were mistaken, that would wipe out my whole year’s income too.

Such are decisions you make everyday in how aggressive you want to grow your business.  In the stock market, the people who take the risk will get above average returns, and they will attribute it to their ability, not to luck, and they will keep trying until one day, their luck will run out.  Such are the things that you read now, about a rogue trader in SocGen who just lost for the bank $7.1 billion dollars.  Such are the risks that many banks took on sub prime.  For a while, it gave them above average returns, till the party went bust, and everybody has to lose a few billion here and there.

It is not difficult to become outrageously rich - but it has nothing to do with smarts or the brain.  It is about the stomach for risk, and ( I am wont to admit it), yes, but luck as well.

It is not for everybody, and I know it is not in my DNA to do that — everyday, I choose to drive safely and enjoy the scenery.  In business, I choose to spend more time making friends and taking time out for family, and choosing to sleep better at night.  I choose conservative and moderate risk - and failures I can afford.

Having chosen my option then, people will constantly overtake me - but if you don’t let it mind you, then it won’ t matter….  I made my choice.  People will each make their choice, and we will all benefit or lose by our choices.

It is because I am smart and understands risks, and prioritize other important things - is the reason  I don’t make more money.  I am enjoying life too much that I start to think why I should  stomach anything else…  Because it is not about the brain, its about your stomach.