Poverty Can Be a Huge Positive Force

In school, at first, I was ashamed to tell people that I’m from a very poor background. With time, I have learned to look at my situation differently. I think that my little achievements so far have come from turning this adversity into a positive force for growth. In this article, I will share a little of my story and how poverty can be a huge positive force. This taught me one of the most important lessons that changed my life. 

As a child, food was a luxury, there were moments when we will be uncertain if we will even eat. I saw my hardworking mom, sweat, and toil just to provide even the most basic needs any human should have – food. I will visit neighbors and not leave until I was offered food. At a certain point, earlier in my teenage ages, I had to start making an effort to earn something for myself and my family. So I will clean toilettes, empty trash bins, or help in other domestic work just to be able to eat. The more I think about this, the more I think no child deserves such a tough childhood. However, I found a way to keep my head up and stay optimistic. 

Throughout my life, I have harnessed poverty to my advantage. It became a very powerful force and motivation. Maybe without those harsh living conditions, I might have never developed the passion and determination I have today. The following are the valuable lessons that poverty taught me – the hard way, the only way:

• I learned how to be emotionally resilient. Unless you have been through the worst, you will not know how it feels to be down there in the pit of misery. Much of my earlier life was really the bottom of the pit for me. I am happy the difficulty did not break me but rather taught me to live strongly with hardship and adversity. Today this has helped me a lot. The threshold to emotionally stress me is quite high and since business is full of stressful and challenges moments, I get to manage them relatively better than people who are more emotionally vulnerable to challenges.
• If you have been hit hard by poverty, you will know that every franc is a luxury. Under such terrible conditions, the little money we could have, had to be seriously allocated carefully. With very limited money, I learned how to manage money, the art of prioritizing and putting the most important things first. Today, I don’t joke with a franc of my money. I account for every single franc and instantly I find myself trying to put money only where it is most needed and necessary.
• Poverty humbles you, this is a fact. I had to be nice and cool with the neighbors to ensure that they are nice to me and can offer me food. I also learned how to ask for help and the importance of connecting with others. You are not an island, there are people out here that can help you. You have to be the kind of person that can be helped. Be humble, kind and willing to help others too.
• To be honest, getting myself and my family out of poverty has been my biggest motivation. I think without such a background, I might not have had such a burning desire to succeed this far. I thank God for this horrifying past. It has instilled in me a force that automates success. 
• I also learned to be patient and to endure. We are in a time where young people are very impatient and narcissistic. People quit at the least discomfort. We are such a lucky generation. People need to endure learning hard things, working under difficulty conditions, schooling or doing any activity that offers delayed gratification rather than instant gratification. The things that you need to learn or do today to become great tomorrow do not feel obviously pleasing to do today. You must know this and put your mindset in the right path, towards long term achievement. 

So the lesson here is that, if you ever faced a situation that seemingly renders you powerless or puts you in a hopeless condition, do not panic. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Know that you will go through it but you will have to put in the work and be patient for it to materialize. Never give up! Now you know that poverty can be a huge positive force. You have heard my rather sad past. Have you ever found yourself in a seemingly difficult situation that tends out to be a blessing in disguise? Share with me in the comment section below. What are your thoughts on this topic?