Why are the poor poor?

Author: Li Haoran
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The main difference between the poor and the rich lies in their mindset. The rich gain more confidence from success, while the poor are more afraid and make excuses from failure. The accumulation of positive actions can create more wealth, whereas the accumulation of negative habits only makes you poorer. A positive mindset attracts wealth, while a negative mindset loses wealth. Because the rich maintain a positive mindset, they keep striving until they achieve the wealth they seek. Now, the poor can start with a positive mindset and take the first step toward wealth. At this point, the poor may also be influenced by a negative mindset. When they are just a bowshot away from their destination, they stop. Here is a good example: The protagonist of this story is called Oscar. On a certain day in late 1929, he was waiting at the train station in Oklahoma City, the capital of Oklahoma in the central-southern United States, to take a train eastward. He had been in the western desert area, where the temperature reached as high as 43°C, for several months, working for an eastern company to explore oil. Oscar graduated from MIT. It is said that he combined old-style prospecting rods, galvanometers, magnetometers, oscilloscopes, vacuum tubes, and other instruments to create new instruments for oil exploration. Now, Oscar learned that his company had gone bankrupt due to its inability to pay debts. Oscar embarked on his journey home. He was unemployed, and his prospects were quite dim. A negative mindset began to greatly affect him. Since he had to wait at the station for several hours, he decided to set up his prospecting instruments there to pass the time. The readings on the instruments indicated that oil was buried beneath the station. But Oscar did not believe it. In a fit of rage, he destroyed the instruments. "There can't be so much oil here! There can't be so much oil here!" he repeatedly shouted,. Oscar was deeply affected by a negative mindset due to the setback of unemployment. The opportunity he had been searching for lay right beneath his feet, but he refused to acknowledge it. He lost confidence in his own judgment. Soon after, people discovered that oil was buried beneath Oklahoma City, and it could even be said that the city floated on oil. The poor not only think of the bad side of the external world, but they also think of their own bad side. They dare not hope, so they often get less, and when they encounter a new idea, the poor's reaction is often: "This won't work. It's never been done this way before. We were doing fine without this idea. This is too risky. The conditions aren't ripe yet. This isn't our responsibility." People believe in what they expect to happen, and that is what may happen. One cannot achieve what they do not pursue. If people do not believe they can achieve something, they will not strive for it. When a person with a negative mindset has low expectations of themselves, they put a "bang" on their ability to succeed, making them their own greatest enemy. At the same time, a negative mindset can cut off hope in life. Poor people with a negative mindset are always disappointed about the future. In the eyes of the poor, a glass is never half full but always half empty. Without hope, there is no motivation to act. A negative mindset destroys confidence and extinguishes hope. A negative mindset is like a slow poison; those who take it gradually become listless. Without any motivation, wealth will move farther away from the poor with a negative mindset. In short, the negative mindset of the poor is the source of failure, decadence, and negativity. It leads the poor's hope to wither and can even drive them to death. Of course, poor people with a negative mindset are not completely unable to transform into people with a positive mindset. As long as they seriously participate in success psychology training, they can shake off sorrow, shadows, and negative consciousness, start fresh, and face life with optimism and confidence. The famous Japanese entrepreneur, Kimiji Nishimura, used a positive mindset to become a millionaire. He was originally poor and often did not have enough to eat, living from one meal to the next. However, he told others that one day he would become a great tycoon. Everyone who heard this laughed at him, calling him "unrealistic" and "daydreaming." But Kimiji Nishimura had no doubt that he would become a wealthy person in the future. This positive mindset made him strive persistently and pay close attention to opportunities in life that could make him rich. To become wealthy as soon as possible, he borrowed money to start a small toy factory that specialized in making hourglasses. Hourglasses are antique toys used to tell time before clocks were invented. After clocks were invented, hourglasses became antiques. However, Kimiji Nishimura's business was not doing well, and he could only sell a few hourglasses each year. The factory was on the verge of bankruptcy. At this point, those who mocked him as "a toad dreaming of eating a swan" came out again to laugh. But Kimiji Nishimura paid no attention to their mockery. He believed he could definitely find a good solution. The opportunity finally came. One day, he saw a book about horse racing. The book said, "Horses have lost their transportation function in modern society but have appeared with high entertainment value." Kimiji Nishimura was a thoughtful person, and he suddenly felt inspired: Yes, I must find a new use for the hourglass! Heed up and devoted all his energy to researching the hourglass. After hard thinking and research, he decided to make an hourglass that would time three minutes. In three minutes, all the sand in the hourglass would fall out. He hung this hourglass next to the telephone so that people would not exceed three minutes when making calls, saving a lot of phone expenses. The newly designed hourglass was a huge success and sold an average of 30,000 units each month. The small factory, which was about to go bankrupt, became a large enterprise overnight, and Kimiji Nishimura transformed into a wealthy tycoon. Kimiji Nishimura succeeded, and this poor person finally realized his dream. This poor person's success depended on a positive mindset. However, some poor people feel that the journey to success is too exhausting. They keep telling themselves, "I can't go on," "I don't have the strength," "I can't reach the finish line." These negative thoughts weigh on the poor, like a long-distance traveler carrying an unnecessary heavy. They make the poor see no hope. Poor people with a negative mindset not only cause trouble for themselves but also affect those around them. Some parents and teachers often unconsciously instill negative thoughts in children. Family is children's classroom, and parents and teachers are the people they interact with the most in daily life. Some parents, when their children say to them, "Mom and Dad, look at how beautiful the stars in the sky are," they will give them a hard time: "What's so interesting about broken stars!" When children stand in front of the mirror admiring themselves, they will say, "Stop showing off. Look how fat you are! It's better to read a book!" Some teachers may say to mischievous students, "If all the students in the class were like you, I would die of anger!" As exams approach, teachers might say, "If you don't study harder this time, you'll fail!" The negative mindset of the poor is like a recording machine, constantly playing in children's ears. Over time, it will raise countless negative poor people. If poor people realize that their mindset is somewhat negative, they need to take action quickly and give themselves a big cleanup, removing all negative thoughts from their minds. Then, they should fill the empty space with positive thoughts and ideas. When adults educate children, they should also expose them more to positive and optimistic influences, helping them experience the beauty of life. If adults encounter difficulties themselves, they should also handle them with a positive attitude. Sometimes, subtle influence is more effective than endless preaching. A cheerful and optimistic attitude is one of the key qualities of successful people. Poor people should start exercising themselves now. Often tell themselves, "Good," "Wonderful," "I like it," "I can do it," "I am a healthy person," "I respect my parents," etc. If poor people do this, soon enough, they will discover a brand-new themselves. P2-5