John Tamny writes in defense and praise of the 1 percent; including Steve Jobs, Keith Richards, Aaron Rodgers and...

Grant Achatz is the chef/owner of Alinea which is widely considered America’s best restaurant, and surely by now among the demonized 1 percent. But what many don’t know is that he got his start flipping eggs at his parents’ diner in Michigan.

Importantly, it’s not where we start in life that dictates where we end it, and having learned the basics as a child and teenager, Achatz eventually matriculated to the Culinary Institute of America. Once there, not content to rest on the achievement of having gotten in, Achatz skipped the “bars and partying” that animated the experiences of his classmates and instead “hit the gym every day and then spent each night reading cookbooks.” Early sacrifices that others wouldn’t make now have Achatz at the top of the culinary world.

Luck plays a part in most of these success stories but the harder people work and the more natural talent they have, the less luck they need. And let's not forgot, drive, focus, and the ability to work hard are talents too.