29.09.2020

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov: The lift is broken, please use the stairs

Recently, everybody start talking about how young people are deprived of social lifts, that is, the opportunity to suddenly soar to the heights of power, success and wealth today. You can't argue with that. But I will try.

A little about myself. Our family lived in Elista, and I really wanted to study in MGIMO. After graduating from Elista school No. 3 with a gold medal in 1979, I worked for a year as an assembly fitter at the Zvezda plant. During 1980 – 1982, I served in the ranks of the Soviet army in the North Caucasian military district. And in 1982 I entered MGIMO. So to speak, I have fulfilled my dream.

No lifts were provided for me. I had a dream, I studied and I strove to achieve something. I always knew that all people are born the same. The differences begin later: someone has richer parents; someone from an early age communicates with luminaries in science or art. But all this is not as significant as it seems to many. 

There are some simple but important rules that you will follow to achieve success. What is success? Success is the state you would like to be in. That is, a dream. Do not be afraid to dream, and let your dream rise as high as possible; that’s how you will achieve what you did not dare to think about. Believe in your dream and don't give up.
However, there is one caveat. In order to recognize this or that opportunity, you need to have a broad outlook. Never miss an opportunity to master a new skill. It does not matter what it is about: whether to sharpen bolts, whether to wash the floors, whether to cook borsch.  Everything may one day come in handy in life. It may not be useful, but you will definitely become richer.
In this sense, I adore the heroes of Jack London, soft-hands - now for some reason called "nerds" -who, passing through seemingly insurmountable trials, become men made of steel and granite. I think every young man must read these books to realize that the comfort of our life is very fragile and not at all eternal. And what will you do, who in your life have never held anything heavier than an iPad in your hands, will you do when you have only an axe and an urgent need to feed and warm your family in the middle of a fierce winter?
Family, friends, and those around them are the greatest value sent to us by God. You can't do anything alone. There should always be someone who will lend a helping hand and cover the rear. Let's keep this in mind and treat those around us accordingly.
Do not wait for the mythical "social lift". You can wait for it all your life. Forget it altogether. Don't complain that you were "born under an unlucky star." All stars are lucky, you just need to find your own among the many. Believe in it, follow it and reach out.
Once in Denmark, I met a man who was wearing a T-shirt that read: "The lift is broken, please use the stairs." I think this is a very correct motto. Good luck!