Escaping Poverty!!!

Escaping Poverty: How Do We Do it?...1) Don’t think like a poor person. Go to some nice stores once in a while—even if you are just window shopping--and say to yourself that you deserve a few nice things.
2) Look in the mirror each morning and say. ``I am not always going to be poor,’’ and really mean it!!
3) Find a mentor who has made it out of poverty and keep in touch with them through mail or e-mail.
4) Trust in GOD that one day you will not be poor.
5) Always be willing to learn new things. Take your children to the library instead of just letting them sit around the house and vegetate by watching TV.
6) Be an ``IDEA’’ person. Think of things and ideas that can move you into making money. Talk to friends and family members and ask for suggested books, videos and financial seminars to go to…
7) If you can afford to get a computer and get on the inter net, by all means do so.
8) Don’t trip about being poor. There are always roads out of difficult places.
9) Take books out of the library about subjects that interest you and read, read, read… (Skim a few books on finance and economics as well).
10) Think about going back to school and getting that first or second degree. It will upgrade your income. I know it may be hard, but look into tutoring before you even start. Ask your academic counselor at school…
11) Remember Poverty is also a mind set, not just the amount of money you have or make.
12) Watch more PBS and Discover Channel instead of the typical drivel on commercial TV and read the Black Enterprise Magazine from cover to cover each month. The fact that you ``can’’ and we ``can’’ will start to sink in……

13) Try desperately to own and maintain ownership of property. Then learn how to manage it well…
14) DON’T PLAY THE LOTERY!!! (It will evaporate what little disposable income you have and make it that much harder to get out of debt).
15) No matter what your income is, you may be beholding to a head of household for every penny you have. This is not a good situation. If you find yourself in a position or situation where you are oppressed by a head of household, be they a parent, guardian, wife or husband and you want to maintain custody and guardianship of your children—no matter how many children you have—there is a way to do this. You will need to secretly call the Red Cross, Children’s Services or another social service agency and let them know the situation. You will have to trust a friend and get out of the house at an appointed time and seek shelter. There are many such shelters (especially for women & children) in large cities, but even if you live in a smaller town or a rural area, you should be able to find the help you need. I know this takes courage, but you don’t want to stay in that situation another month. You may well have to start over from scratch, but at least you won’t have the family ogre to deal with. In five years you will be a different person, but not if you don’t take those first scary steps. Think of yourself as a mini Rosa Parks or a mini Harriet Tubman… I say this because I know that for you the act of escaping from a household oppressor (from a spouse or parent or even a child who may well have been beating and kicking and hitting you or threatening you with a knife or gun or using some other means of harassment or interrogation including just verbal and or mental abuse) is very real…But you deserve better…Take the chance in 2010 and GET OUT!!! GET AWAY!!


16) Go to the Self Help Section of your neighborhood book store or the library and find something that empowers or interests you. I guarantee that if you do this something of interest will jump out from the shelf and scream for you to take that book home with you. Remember you can request books at the Library, if you only see it at the store, but can’t afford it…

17) DON’T Support stores like Wal-Mart that don’t treat poor and oppressed people and women correctly as employees. You are just supporting your own oppression when you do this. I don’t care how cheap the prices are. The cost in human blood and humane ethics and humane principles is way too much, way too high….. Shop at Target which gives a few dollars back to the community in support programs & community programs for the poor and needy…Or support local Black-owned stores in your area… You will feel much better about yourself in the long run…


18) Oh, and by the way, don’t forget to laugh and smile every day…It is an important part of your financial brief and your recovery from poverty……..Remember levity is the spice of the rich…..