Signs of Growing Poverty: Too Much Garbage

Many friends around you, regardless of their education or family background, start off at roughly the same starting point.

However, as time goes on, the disparity in their lives becomes more and more significant, and some friends find themselves living in poverty and struggling to make ends meet.

They discover that most people's poverty is not due to a lack of opportunities but rather the accumulation of many "poor habits."

These poor habits give rise to various kinds of garbage, burying a person in it completely.

01

Material Garbage

What is the connection between poor people having more possessions and weaker self-discipline?

After conducting a tracking survey on 190 poor individuals, Professor Angela Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania found the following:

First, poor people are more susceptible to material desires; they cannot resist the temptation of promotions and impulsive consumption.

Second, poor people have weaker self-discipline, which means they cannot handle their belongings promptly or organize them properly.

Abhijit Banerjee, a Nobel laureate in economics, recounted the story of a poor Indonesian farmer named Parker in his book "The Nature of Poverty."

Parker struggled to make ends meet, often going hungry and becoming extremely weak without earning much money.

However, when Abhijit visited Parker's home, he was surprised to find not only a television, DVD player, and mobile phone but also items like tea, coffee, and sugar.

Whenever he had a little extra money, Parker would rush to go shopping, buying all sorts of things to bring back home.

In fact, we have many people like this around us.

After earning money, they don't think about saving it or investing in themselves.

Instead, they indulge in online shopping, leading to an increasing number of possessions at home and their own increasing poverty.

As Inamori Kazuo once said: "The poorer the family, the more they like to buy things, causing their homes to be cramped with stuff, while the homes of the rich are spacious."

Thomas Stanley, the author of "The Millionaire Next Door," once interviewed a wealthy couple, the Hollys.

The Hollys had a strict approach to family spending. Despite being wealthy, they drove two old cars and lived in a modest house.

Their principle for purchasing was: not to buy what they wanted, but only what they needed.

Even before buying something, the wife would patiently wait for a period of time before deciding whether to make the purchase or not.

Regarding how to control consumption, the Hollys proposed three guidelines that I find quite useful:

First, do not let your lifestyle dictate your financial goals.

Second, adopt a mindset of "good enough" for consumer goods.

Third, act in a way different from others, especially when those around you follow a high-consumption lifestyle.

In the wave of consumerism, being able to control your buying impulses is a crucial ability for ordinary people to break through social classes.

In "Confessions of a Shopaholic," there is a quote that goes like this:

"People who are willing to spend money know how to invest in themselves. Truly investing in yourself is not spending money on things that reflect your self-worth but spending it in the places where it can generate new value."

Investing money in improving your work skills will make you perform better and gain more opportunities in your job.

Investing money in books and learning will broaden your knowledge and expand your horizons.

02

Emotional Garbage

A company founder wrote two lines in his office to motivate himself: "Bring only your brain, not your emotions."

Life won't give you special treatment just because you complain. On the contrary, the more you complain, the more it will be harsh on you.

Keeping unnecessary emotions in check is the key to managing your work and life effectively.

Xiaochen's family background was not very wealthy, and his parents couldn't provide him with much financial support.

After getting married, he lived a tight life, especially after having a child, frequently borrowing money from friends.

He couldn't keep a job for long, and he couldn't earn much money.

The fundamental reason was that he had too much emotional garbage.

When working as a delivery driver, he was scolded by a customer for being late, and he ended up getting fired after a physical altercation.

As a ride-hailing driver, he got into arguments with passengers for various reasons, leading to complaints and a bad reputation, which made the platform stop assigning him rides.

In work and life, everyone is bound to encounter unfair treatment.

Venting emotions is the most useless behavior in the world.

Truly mature individuals will swallow their grievances and keep quiet.

Famous writer Ta Ran Ye Hu Chan once stayed at the office until 2 am, and suddenly, his boss sent an email severely criticizing his recent work, claiming he wasn't dedicated enough.

At that moment, Ta Ran was infuriated and immediately started preparing a lengthy email to refute the criticism:

He listed how hard he worked every day, how difficult the job was, and ended up writing several thousand words.

But suddenly, he calmed down.

He began to ask himself: If I were the boss and dissatisfied with an employee's work, and I emailed to criticize him, would I like to see him defend and complain? Definitely not.

Ta Ran deleted the several thousand words he had typed and only replied with one sentence:

"I will reflect on recent issues and make adjustments as soon as possible."

Afterward, he introspected his own problems while encouraging himself.

Soon, he received an A-grade evaluation during the next assessment and became the first one promoted among his peers.

An event does not directly cause your emotions; it's your way of thinking that leads to emotional outbursts.

When you can detach yourself from the event and make an objective assessment, you won't get overly angry or upset.