Pick your life up by the bootstraps

This was unintentionally uttered by Caroline Carleton.  I think it is a triple congruent conflation of “pull yourself up by the boot straps”, “make something of your life”, and “pick yourself up”, all meaning to improve by one’s own efforts.  This might be the first congruent conflation trifecta posted.  “Pulling oneself up by the bootstraps” refers to pulling on high boots by means of the straps or loops attached to them at the top. Origin of the expression is early 1900s.  A big thanks to Caroline Carleton for sharing this one.