"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves."
Abraham Lincoln
Showing posts with label poor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poor. Show all posts
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The Rich Get Richer and The Poor Get Poorer
We've all heard the statement, "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer." This has been especially true in the past several years and may be even more true in the years ahead. But have you ever asked why this is the case? It is simply because the rich keep doing what makes them rich and the poor keep doing what keeps them poor. I saw a video on Youtube recently and the guy was talking about when he realized what he was doing wrong. He said he realized at the early age of 24 that it is ALWAYS possible to spend more than you make. If you always spend more than you make, you'll always be broke.
If you're tired of being one of the poor, and believe me I'm very tired of it, then you have to change the way you think about money and the way you act upon your thoughts. I had to get over my little pity party and get away from the victim mentality of "I'll always be poor." You'll always be poor if you keep doing the things that make you poor.
A lot of people think, "If I just made more money." Well you first need to be able to handle the money you do have. Do you want to have more and possibly even be one of the rich getting richer? Then you need to take control of your finances and stop spending more than you take in. Once you've accomplished this simple rule, then you can put your excess money to work. When your money works for you, that's that much less work you have to do yourself. John D. Rockefeller once said that the only thing that made him truly happy was the dividend checks he got every month. I can relate to that! I've worked hard all my life, starting at age 5, but never really had anything to show for it until the past 10 years or so. Now the money comes in every month in the form of dividends and interest and you can't imagine how it makes me feel to know that I didn't have to do any physical labor to earn it. I'm still a long way from being one of the rich. But I have every confidence that the more I learn about handling my finances, the more money I will make and the less I'll have to physically work for it.
If this sounds good to you, then take a look at your personal circumstances. We can all find reasons or excuses why we can't put any money aside to invest, or why we can't improve our situations. It's when you STOP making excuses and START looking for ways to improve your situation, then your life will change. It may not be easy and you might not like all the changes you have to make, but believe me, it will be more than worth the effort. Don't wait for a bailout from the government, help yourself to a better life!
If you're tired of being one of the poor, and believe me I'm very tired of it, then you have to change the way you think about money and the way you act upon your thoughts. I had to get over my little pity party and get away from the victim mentality of "I'll always be poor." You'll always be poor if you keep doing the things that make you poor.
A lot of people think, "If I just made more money." Well you first need to be able to handle the money you do have. Do you want to have more and possibly even be one of the rich getting richer? Then you need to take control of your finances and stop spending more than you take in. Once you've accomplished this simple rule, then you can put your excess money to work. When your money works for you, that's that much less work you have to do yourself. John D. Rockefeller once said that the only thing that made him truly happy was the dividend checks he got every month. I can relate to that! I've worked hard all my life, starting at age 5, but never really had anything to show for it until the past 10 years or so. Now the money comes in every month in the form of dividends and interest and you can't imagine how it makes me feel to know that I didn't have to do any physical labor to earn it. I'm still a long way from being one of the rich. But I have every confidence that the more I learn about handling my finances, the more money I will make and the less I'll have to physically work for it.
If this sounds good to you, then take a look at your personal circumstances. We can all find reasons or excuses why we can't put any money aside to invest, or why we can't improve our situations. It's when you STOP making excuses and START looking for ways to improve your situation, then your life will change. It may not be easy and you might not like all the changes you have to make, but believe me, it will be more than worth the effort. Don't wait for a bailout from the government, help yourself to a better life!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Enough With The Wining!
I just sat through another mind numbing "news" program about the problems with the U.S. economy and the inability of our political system to address the issues. Yeah, O.K. we all know what the problems are. Is it really helpful to anyone to carry on these endless debates in the news media about how it is just impossible to solve all our country's problems? Does this really accomplish anything? They always say they are, "addressing the issues." I think they are confusing "addressing the issues" with giving an address about the issues. If all the people who proclaim to be so concerned about the problems facing our nation, are truly concerned, wouldn't it be more productive to concentrate on proposing real workable answers to the problems, instead of endlessly wining about how we're faced with insurmountable dilemmas?
The show I was watching was about the millions of poor people in the U.S. and how companies are targeting these people for their collective wealth, estimated to be around $650 billion. Speaking as someone who comes from this group, I don't want any one's pity, I don't want any one's handouts, all I've ever wanted was the knowledge to rise above my humble beginnings. Has anyone ever seriously considered educating the poor to deal with their own problems? I do know of a few people who advocate financial education, but it has never, to my knowledge, been proposed as a solution to the generations of poverty stricken families here in our country. It is no big secret. Anyone in this country can rise above poverty if they have the desire to do so. They may not know how, but there is a simple solution to this problem as well. I personally believe that the book, "The Richest Man in Babylon" should be required reading in all our public schools. ANYONE who follows the advice set out in this simple, easy to understand book, will do well in life. And if we truly want to address economic issues in this country, then we need to start a grass roots campaign to end financial ignorance and illiteracy. In one of the parables in the above mentioned book, the King of Babylon desires that his city should become the wealthiest city in the world. So he sends for the "richest man in Babylon" and asks that he teach others his secrets to acquiring wealth and building an estate. As this wise old man in the book states, "Anything that one man knows, can be taught to another." So, if we truly desire to end poverty in this country, if we truly desire to lift the financial burdens from the poor, then welfare and social programs should only be temporary and for the poorest of the poor. Financial education should be the cornerstone of any true campaign to eliminate poverty in this country.
The show I was watching was about the millions of poor people in the U.S. and how companies are targeting these people for their collective wealth, estimated to be around $650 billion. Speaking as someone who comes from this group, I don't want any one's pity, I don't want any one's handouts, all I've ever wanted was the knowledge to rise above my humble beginnings. Has anyone ever seriously considered educating the poor to deal with their own problems? I do know of a few people who advocate financial education, but it has never, to my knowledge, been proposed as a solution to the generations of poverty stricken families here in our country. It is no big secret. Anyone in this country can rise above poverty if they have the desire to do so. They may not know how, but there is a simple solution to this problem as well. I personally believe that the book, "The Richest Man in Babylon" should be required reading in all our public schools. ANYONE who follows the advice set out in this simple, easy to understand book, will do well in life. And if we truly want to address economic issues in this country, then we need to start a grass roots campaign to end financial ignorance and illiteracy. In one of the parables in the above mentioned book, the King of Babylon desires that his city should become the wealthiest city in the world. So he sends for the "richest man in Babylon" and asks that he teach others his secrets to acquiring wealth and building an estate. As this wise old man in the book states, "Anything that one man knows, can be taught to another." So, if we truly desire to end poverty in this country, if we truly desire to lift the financial burdens from the poor, then welfare and social programs should only be temporary and for the poorest of the poor. Financial education should be the cornerstone of any true campaign to eliminate poverty in this country.
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