It has come to my attention that when achievements are being discussed, what's often brought to the table is whether the said person is 'born with a rich dad'.

I'd love to think my family is well off enough to allow me to see the world, but not so wealthy compared to many people.

The truth is that there will always be many people wealthier than you are, at whatever stage of your life. It's a fact to be accepted, and perhaps a reason to work harder.

However, what's less nice is when some attempted to discount one's hard work, talents, and achievements by judging how wealthy one's family is. I'm not saying it is not a sound argument. But it sounds like self-pity - that I have come to realise it's unattractive in the pursuit of a career.

'Do you think I have it easy?' was the single most useful advice that I received from a colleague. Indeed, nothing (reasonably ambitious) is easy. Having a preexisting network could help; having the money could give you an extra push. 

But without you as a driver - nothing could come to fruition. What drives me the most is when I see a privileged person works even harder than someone who has nothing and at the same time fully utilises the resources that are available - this, this drives me into working harder, not discounting the efforts that one had put in. This is the lesson I learnt.