Poverty builds character

They say the world is run by the almighty dollar, and yet money is the root of all evil. Money can’t buy happiness, yet I tend to smile a lot more when I have cash in my pocket. It doesn’t matter what kind of spin you try to put on it, we live in a world that relies on wealth.

Like many others, I found myself unemployed this past summer. If you or anyone you know was unemployed this summer, then you know it wasn’t exactly shooting fish in a barrel finding a new job. In fact, I feel the most consistent job I have had for the past year has been the process of searching for a job – a tedious and stressful job, but necessary to keep moving forward. The result of unsuccessful job hunting is being broke.

At no time do you notice just how necessary having a little extra cash is than when you find yourself jobless and penniless. It affects your everyday life in almost every facet; it costs money to drive, it costs money to eat, it even costs money to sleep if you’re traveling. Unless you plan on spending your days in solitary confinement without consuming anything, you’re going to have to cough up some dough to get through a typical day.

However, just as being strapped for cash brings in the realization that money is a necessity of life, it also helps one take life a lot more seriously. When you need to spend each dollar wisely to survive, you can’t help but evaluate each part of your life and consider just what is vital and what is petty.

Thus, poverty builds character. Being poor causes you to deeply gauge each decision and that forces you to plan ahead, and when you plan ahead, you can’t help but plan far ahead. And when is planning for your future ever a bad idea?

Beyond your planning and decision-making, destitution brings about deep soul-searching that ultimately allows you to mature and value what really matters.

I like to look at life as a marathon: When running a marathon, you can only see what’s directly in front of you, and must take it one step at a time. At times the road gets tough and an uphill battle ensues. But if you continue to take each step with confidence, and constantly move forward, you will ultimately get where you’re trying to go.

It is the same as life; we can only take it day-by-day. Sometimes the days get long and arduous, and we find ourselves in a struggle, sometimes for a lot longer than we’d hoped. But live each day with a step of confidence, and believe that your steps are carrying you to the Promised Land, and they shall.

It is positive thinking such as this that must develop when you battle against the almighty dollar. Although poverty can build character, it can also destroy lives, and it is when you feel impoverished that you are able to see just how easily that can happen.

As crazy as it sounds, things in life need to go awry every now and again. If life had no pitfalls, how would you learn the valuable lessons that build us as better, more battle-tested individuals? It is the falls in life that teach us how to rise.

Nobody wants to be poor; it makes everything harder and less enjoyable. But if you ever find yourself facing bankruptcy, remember; keep moving forward, and trust each step, you’ll find what you’re looking for.

If you look inside yourself deep enough, you might just find that character that’s going to succeed.