I’ve frequently said that I’d had the “good fortune to experience a period of poverty and chaos in my childhood” because it left me with deep distaste for both. I shared some details and got back the following: “Thank you for sharing this with me. I can relate quite a bit. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you overcome your challenges? What helped you most in leveling out and getting everything together? I feel as though at times I’m lost and don’t exactly know what’s next!”
My slightly edited reply:
“I decided at a very early age I would never live an ordinary life; I was not put on this earth to live small, and I was willing to put in the work (both hard and smart, linked tightly together) to make it happen. I was aways a voracious reader/learner, intensely curious. Above all I was focused and resilient. I might plateau, recovery, rest and recuperate but soon I would be back, climbing the mountain.
That said, while I was steady and constant, I was never in a hurry. I was patient; I practiced the art of the long view. I was disciplined, I’ve never run a credit card balance in my life, I’ve never, ever strained to buy anything in my personal life (business, yes!); I bought used cars until I was well into my 30’s. I never had the need to impress anyone; the only person I competed against was the person I was yesterday. I always thought of money as both a defense against the vagaries of the world and also as distilled energy: like fire, it was a two-edge sword: could warm the hearth or burn the house down; requires skill and wisdom to utilize properly.”
Closing Affirmations
I release all thoughts that hurt.
What others do is their karma, How I respond is mine.
My sense of self is anchored deep within, from that flows wonderful peace.
I am a Radiant Optimist, I Carry the Sun in my Pocket and the Stars in my Heart.
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier
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