Your fast thinking brain most likely finished the title of this post before it was even over, but for the unfamiliar the last word is supposed to be “Bootstraps.” Bootstrapping was a popular idea where I grew up. It is a metaphor used to convey that if you want to improve your life, then you just need to try harder. It is a context blind statement that assumes that if you give enough effort, then you can be better. Not just can be, but more accurately, will be better. In other words, what you get out of life is based on merit and merit alone. A Meritocracy if you will.
(Pictured: A person wearing a pair of boots attempting to lift themselves by their bootstraps. Source: Isabella Carapella/HuffingtonPost)
