Once Poor Always Poor
On page 110 of The Law of Success, Napoleon talked about the curse of poverty. Here’s a snippet of what he said:
… Here is a man who was born of poor parents. Since the first day that he can remember he has seen evidence of poverty. He has hard talk of poverty. He has felt the icy hand of poverty on his shoulders and it has so impressed him that he fixes it in his mind as a curse to which “he must submit”. Quite unconsciously he permits himself to fall victim of the belief “once poor always poor” until that belief becomes the dominating thought of his mind. He resembles a horse that has been harnessed and broken until it forgets that it has the potential power with which to throw off that harness. Auto-suggestion is rapidly relegating him to the back of the stage of life. Finally he becomes a “quitter”. Ambition is gone. Opportunity comes his way no longer, or if it does he has not the vision to see it. He has accepted his FATE! It is a well established fact that the faculties of the mind, like the limbs of the body, atrophy and wither away if not used. self-confidence is no exception. It develops when used but disappears if not used…
This is something that I can fully relate with. After my parent’s divorced when I was around the age of 11, my mother supported both my brother and I. Being a seasonal worker at the local fish plant, she never had a lot of money. Times were hard. I remember when I was so cold in my room that I had to use a hair dryer under my sheets to stay warm.
She did her best though and we managed. We had a roof over our heads and food on the table and that is what matters the most.
Since my humble beginnings I haven’t pushed myself to have more than a paycheck to paycheck existence. Sure, I’ve taken on second jobs, started small businesses, etc, to supplement my income, but never really “going for the gold”. Going about my day being comfortable with my poor existence with the hopes of things getting better. I felt that because of my past, there was no way that I could be rich.
I’ve since realized (thanks to Napoleon Hill) that my past does not dictate my future. I know that I am in full control of my life and have full confidence that I will succeed. This did not come naturally however, I had to work on this confidence. I still have to overcome many self doubts and the fear of what others might think. My poor past created this lack of confidence, but I choose to ignore it. Now-a-days I just shrug off the feeling and just push myself to keep going. I’m less concerned about public opinion as I used to be. I figured if I concentrate on helping others and providing useful information, that is all that truly matters.
-Shannon
“Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.” -Danny Thomas
This is so true Shannon. You really have to throw off those old beliefs, which can be difficult because after 16+ years (and that’s just childhood) of having this mindset it becomes part of your life.
My mum still says to me things like “our family wasn’t supposed to be rich” and I have only recently started pulling her up on it and asking her why she believes that. It’s hard to break free of such ingrained teaching.
In the same way I get annoyed when people say that those with lots of money (especially young people) have obviously done something illegal to get it or have inherited it from their parents. The only thing they have inherited usually is the belief that they can and will be wealthy.
Lisa
“In the same way I get annoyed when people say that those with lots of money (especially young people) have obviously done something illegal to get it or have inherited it from their parents. The only thing they have inherited usually is the belief that they can and will be wealthy.”
Yeah, I come across this a lot as well. Many people seem to have a misconception that you can only get rich at the expense of others. They feel that anyone who is rich must have cheated other people out of their money.
And it’s not just the young or the poor that have this mindset. I meet a lot of people who are not rich but financially comfortable who have the same misconception about becoming wealthy.
Although I never had the misconception, I did feel that the rich must have had some advantage over me that allowed them to be rich. It never occurred to me that many wealthy people have built their fortunes despite their past.
Just take Andrew Carnegie. Andrew was a poor boy from Scotland. Working 12 hours a day for 6 days a week at the cotton mill he never had anymore advantages than you or I. He worked hard and went the extra mile in everything he did. It was his hard work and dedication that allowed Andrew to get better and better jobs with more pay. Eventually he started investing money into the steel industry until his investments grew into a steel company that became one of the largest in America. Andrew’s company was eventually bought out for the equivalent of $120 Billion.
There are thousands of others, just like Andrew, who have proved that you have the same opportunities to become wealthy as anyone else. Your past, disabilities, and/or education does not have to be the limiting factors to your success. Your mind is the only barrier to success that you have. Overcome this barrier and you will be wealthy.
-Shannon
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