haul/pull (yourself) up by (your) bootstraps

to improve your situation by your own efforts without any help from other people.

My father pulled himself up by his bootstraps to become one of the richest men in the country.

• the Grim Reaper
• the groves of academe
• the hair of the dog
• the hair of the dog that bit you
• the halcyon days
• the hand that rocks the cradle .
• the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
• the happy event
• the hard sell
• the hard stuff
• the head honcho
• the heart rules the head
• the hearts and minds of
• the hearts and minds of someone
• the heat is on
• the heavens opened
• the height of
• the height of something
• the here and now
• the high and mighty
• the highest rung on the ladder
• the high ground
• the highways and byways
• the holy of holies
• the home straight