Reply #27: I've worked my way up out of poverty. [View All]

[Th1onein]

I used to be a "welfare mom." We were very, very poor.

And, after having lived in poverty for so many years and knowing what it is like for people who are not lazy, but who work very, very hard, just to survive, I don't think that you CAN live well without giving a large chunk back. I think that living well INCLUDES doing something about how those left behind still have to live.

And, when you have lived in abject poverty, you learn how to live very simply. You learn to be happy with just the basics. I've tried to take that with me and keep that skill, as I've earned more and more every year. So, I have a lot left over, after my needs are taken care of.

I do invest quite a bit into my business, because it proves out, but the rest? I give it freely. In fact, after having lost my son to cystic fibrosis, there are very few things that can make me smile. But changing the lives of others for the better by making an investment in their lives? It is one thing left to me that makes me happy.