I never studied hard in high school, had one AP, went to a mid tier university and got mostly C's and i also have a household income in the top 1%, a gratifying job and a loving family. I did what i wanted most of my life - i would rather program stuff than apply myself in school and that yielded rewards. I think the broader point is if someone's child wanted to apply themselves to be excellent, then i think that is quite alright but we start getting into trouble when parents are forcing their children or scaring them with "if you don't do this, your life is over" type advice.