Forbes has reported that Bill Gates' worth in 2015 was $79.2 billion, making him land the top spot in the world's richest. Now after gushing at such a huge fortune, many people wonder how Bill Gates did it. Latest research shows that a trait which he possessed when he was younger is to be blamed.
In a report by Yahoo News, it said that the young Bill Gates was tempestuous, argumentative and always wanted to be in control. In short, he defied his parents, and such traits started showing when he was 11 years old.
The Wall Street Journal said that Gates refused to follow the things that his mom told him to do. Simple house chores such as cleaning his room and not being late for dinner becomes a starting point for arguments. There was even an instance when Gates had a shouting match with his mom, which prompted his father to throw water on his face. Eventually, Gates confided to a counselor that he was at war with his parents as to who was in control.
While this may be considered as "bad behavior," a study found in the Developmental Psychology Journal, which was likewise cited by the Association for Psychological Science, said that breaking rules during adolescence is surprisingly connected to having a higher income later on in life. This shows that perhaps rule-breaking isn't as bad as it seems.
The study was conducted in 1968 in Luxembourg which involved 3,000 sixth-graders. They were made to answer a questionnaire which sought to find out the students' feelings towards school. Their teachers were likewise asked to give their evaluation of the students.
In 2008, the researchers were able to reach 745 students out of the 3,000 who participated in the study. They found that those who were studious had higher incomes. And to the surprise of many, those who showed a defiant attitude during adolescence earned higher as well.
Although it isn't clear as to why this is so, it is believed that such attitude impels the person to take social risks and to stand their ground when what they are asked to do is not in accordance with their interests. Asian Parent also reported that children who tend to break the rules become high achievers upon reaching adulthood.
So if a child is quite defiant, be more patient and know that defiance was once a trait of Bill Gates, the world's number one billionaire. It might just be the characteristic that your child needs to be next in line to Gates two or three decades from now.
