Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession.
Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word.
—John Steinbeck
What do you think when you hear the name Texas?
Big? Successful? Proud? These words have become associated with the Lone Star State—and for a reason.
Even if some people think about less flattering words, such as hyperbole, bragging, or arrogant (haters gonna hate), we have to recognize that they are but a negative reaction to those first words and qualities that came to represent Texas.
Texas has gained a reputation, of which Texans are extremely proud, and that was not inherited by chance. It was built over the centuries as Texans of all walks of life sought and continue to seek the values that are now best represented by the great state of Texas. Texas has a history of success, from its early settlers, to gaining its independence, to being its own country, to becoming the U.S.’s economic powerhouse today.
But what made and continues to make Texas—and Texans—so successful?
What Texans call big, others would label “mind-boggling,” “excessive,” or “unbelievable.” It's not that Texans are modest, or dislike polysyllabic adjectives. It's just that there's no easy way to describe the state habit of excessive, hog-wild behavior. … Too much really ain't enough. … and it never will be. Not in the land where small is plumb stingy and less is exactly that. Talking small and medium just means that you’re a Yankee inside. …
To be Texan, think big. It's the only way.
—Rosemary Kent
Many factors come into play, some that Texans can control (the amount of effort they put into their ventures or the public policies they support) and some that they can’t, at least not fully (the weather or a somewhat hostile natural environment).
When I think of Texas, the first words that come to my mind (on top of the first three I mentioned above) are courage, hard work, grit, independence, and achievement.
Why Subscribe?
Achievement, TX, aims to look at typical Texas success stories, old and new, in all areas of life, and consider the values those who achieved success were striving to reach and the virtues they needed to do so. It aims to celebrate Texas in a way that better highlights the qualities that make Texans, Texans.
A code of values accepted by choice is a code of morality.
—Ayn Rand
(Before someone jumps at me for “willfully not representing the whole picture” or something of the kind... This publication is meant to highlight the positive traits that make Texas a land of opportunity and achievement—period. If you have anything against focusing, analyzing, and admiring achievements, then you’re probably not a Texan and I can only be sorry for you *wink*.)
Justice consists first not in condemning, but in admiring—and then in expressing one's admiration explicitly and in fighting for those one admires. … Evil must be combatted, but then it is to be brushed aside. What counts in life are the men who support life. They are the men who struggle unremittingly, often heroically, to achieve values. They are the Atlases whom mankind needs desperately, and who in turn desperately need the recognition—specifically, the moral recognition—to which they are entitled. They need to feel, while carrying the world on their shoulders, that they are living in a human society and that the burden is worth carrying.
—Leonard Peikoff
My name is Carine Martinez. I wasn’t born in Texas, but I came here as fast as I could. And while I used to say that “I wasn’t lucky to be born in Texas,” my perspective has changed a bit, because as we’ll see, seeking to come here is part of the experience of being a Texan—a deliberate choice that requires purposeful action: choosing the value Texas. I’ve now been a proud Texan for almost 11 years, and I have no intention of leaving (another characteristic of being Texan).
Achievement, TX, was born out of my fascination with—and longing to do—two things: Texas—to learn more and write about this great state that I love—and achievement in general but particularly in business—to present a more accurate narrative on business (in general) and business men and women, and the value they bring to society. So, although the publication will not be limited to looking at what makes Texas businesses successful, it will be focusing on this quite a bit.
Finally, I want to say that this is a work in progress. I fully intend to—and acknowledge that I will—learn along the way. But I’ve delayed starting this project for far too long already, due to a job that was keeping me busy but also due to somewhat of a shortcoming of mine: waiting for the right moment and striving for the perfect copy—which is unlikely to happen in this perfectionist’s mind of mine. So, to quote someone who also chose to come to Texas to enjoy life here,
[W]e can indeed begin with petites actions but on our magnum opus.
Start small … on something big.
—Ryan Holiday
Well, yes, because everything is meant to be big in Texas :) but we must start.
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As this begins, this publication will not require a paid subscription. This may change in the future, depending on a variety of factors. I do hope to convince you that this is worth, first, subscribing, and second, perhaps deciding to pledge to support it in the future. Also, please don’t hesitate to share!
In advance, a big Texas Thank Y’all for reading!
Page created on March 14, 2024. Last updated March 25, 2024.
Sources of quotes
Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck, Penguin Books, 2012.
“Too Much Ain’t Enough: The Texas State of Mind,” in Genuine Texas Handbook by Rosemary Kent, Workman Publishing, 1981.
The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand, Signet, 1964/1992.
Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand by Leonard Peikoff, Meridian, 1991.
“Just Start Somewhere. Just Do Something,” in Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave by Ryan Holiday, Portfolio, 2021.
