⬇Poverty as a Motivation to Succeed⬆

As we approach the Christmas season, I am reminded of my struggles in life as a young man. I posted this status in Facebook a couple of years ago:

"At this very hour some 15 years ago, I was sitting at a sidewalk of the old Divisoria Market, waiting on boxes upon boxes and plastic bags of toys, clothing and other gift items. Mom and I will ride a non-aircon bus after she's finished zigzag-ing the narrow and warm walkways of the smelly old market, finding and haggling for the lowest prices.

Dad will be waiting for us at the street near a local market place where they will sell the items mom and I got from Divisoria. We did not have a stall. They were selling at the sidewalk.During the holidays, dad spends the night at the market and sleeps underneath a makeshift tent. Mom goes home to rest for barely 4-5 hours then back to the market again.

For such a long time, I rejected the idea of Christmas breaks because the thought was very foreign to me, and I am sure to my siblings too. We got lucky to have such hardworking, selfless, and loving parents. That is the gift we will always remember during Christmas."

We've done better financially up until about 1996 when my parents' garments business started on a long decline, until we are left with close to nothing in just a couple of years. I was about to go to the university at that time. I thought long and hard about not going, and just help my folks by waiting tables or some other odd jobs that will at least help put bread on our table. That would have been the easier choice. Doing that would have saved me heartaches thinking about how my family is sacrificing so much just so I can go on, and doing that would have removed all the pressure of doing well to maintain an academic scholarship and a grant from a Belgian funded charity organization. Doing that however, would have resulted to not being able to send my siblings through college, not being able to help my parents as much through the difficult times, not being able to provide well for my own family.

The easy choices are very seldom the right ones.

2 Lucky Me Pancit Canton (8.50 PHP) + 1 Hardboiled Egg (3.50 PHP)

1 Saba Mackerel Sardines (9 PHP) + 1 Big Onion (2 PHP)

1 Fried chicken wing from the sidewalk (11 PHP)

1 Salted Egg (6 PHP) + 1 Big Onion (2 PHP) + Tomatoes (3 PHP)

Ligo Sardines (7 PHP) 1 Big Onion (2 PHP) + Tomatoes (3 PHP)

No more than 12 PHP ($0.25) per meal for 4 years, and it's most probably worse at home for my siblings. There were many days when I would have given up, I am glad I did not. Kept to the joyful thoughts of the future, while dealing with my current realities.

Writing this reminds me of a really short anecdote told by my favorite high school teacher.

"Two twin brothers had a drunk father. One brother grew up to be a drunk, and when asked why he became a drunk, he responds, because my father was a drunk'. The other twin brother grew up to be a successful business man and when asked why he became a successful business man, he responded, because my father was a drunk." - Unknown

I wouldn't have known how much impact this anecdote will have on the way I will respond to struggles later in life. It is poverty that pushed me, and oh pushed me hard to strive towards success. What I could have taken as paralyzing effect, and as an excuse to do less; I took as a motivation to do more, as the very reason to move and get out of the situation not only better - but victorious.

I remember putting in 70 hours a week when my siblings were studying. I would have otherwise not been able to support their college education. In retrospect I wasn't going for success, I was merely doing what I can to not go back to the worst. In the process I was developing some tough discipline, and honing my skills in fear of losing my job. That fear was so strong, and it drove me to go beyond expectations - resulting to acknowledgements, series of recognition, and promotions. By learning to value what little money we had, along with much awaited reduction to our responsibilities to help our extended families, @dandalion and I are now able to live within 50% of our means. We are able to give our kids good education without having to worry about fees, we now reside in a livable space unlike that 28 sqm apartment we had to live in for 6 long years, we are able to see clear prospects of handing over my golden corporate handcuff in a couple of years.

So whatever struggles you are going through today, take it as motivation to strive hard - not only to get out of the situation, but to do so - victorious.

“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.” - James C. Collins, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't

Credits:

Cover Photo Background - Pixabay
Instant Noodles in Bun

If you are a Filipino, an expat living in the Philippines, or care about the Philippines, please join our growing community in discord by clicking on this picture:

Vote for Our Philippines Witnesses

How to vote?

Use the witness page https://steemit.com/~witnesses

Scroll down the page until you see the vote box below and enter

Click vote