Self made man is defined as one who rises from poverty and obscurity by means of his own talents or energies.  Wait a minute, his own talents?  Yes, to rise above we have to use our talents, a lot of energy, hard work and perseverance, but who gives talents to us in the first place? Men are not self made, but God made.  There is an old song from 72 that speaks of being a self made man stuck in the middle.  One line says, “Well, you started off with nothing, and you're proud that you're a self-made man.”  Finally repeated over and over is this line, “Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, Here I am stuck in the middle with you.”  Who is the self made man stuck in the middle with?  I guess not a clown or a joker.  Clowns and jokers have a way of getting us stuck in some messes that we have to use God given talents to get out of.  He also gives us people, who help us achieve and be and become and rise from obscurity. The people we have surrounding us are very important as we use our talents and energies to become unstuck from ruts of helplessness and hopelessness.   Sometime the best way to make a dream become reality is to speak it to someone who will believe that it can come to pass. A confidant is defined as a trusted friend to whom private maters are disclosed. In this life we need more confidants and fewer clowns.  It does matter much who is in the middle of a mess with you, but matters more who helps you get unstuck from the middle of the mess.