is it better to have been poor at one stage in your life?

when growing up we were as average as could be, not poor, not rich.

when I ventured out into the real world, very naively to be honest, I went bankrupt on paper (not legally) through a failed business venture, which was going to fail anyway, but I was too dumb to even realise it,

Ever since, going back to those hard times reminds me of a dark time which I do not wish to experience again,

so indirectly, its been a good thing for me
 
I think having been both comfortable and poor gives you a better grounding for both sides.

Being poor at some stage also helps to give you a keener appreciation of the good times and finer things when they come your way.

From my experience, many of the poor are resentful of the better-offs, but don't truly know what the better-offs have done behind the scenes to achieve their level of wealth.

Very few wealthy - or even comfortable folks - have done it without lots of sacrifice and hard work...what the poor folks call "luck".
 
some great posts here. As others have said, my believe is also to have the appreciation of what you have and a future direction, so that you don't stagnate. I have seen people who are comfortable with what they have (no means financially independent) so that it makes them stagnate. Not sure if these people are happy or not but certainly there's room to improve in their life. What I'm not sure is, seeing what other people go through or have gone through in their lives would inspire these people or not. For me, it is inspiring and makes me keep at it.
 
like Skater helped us survive the high interest rates of the early 90s. (I friggin hate devon now!!).
Me too!

Then we became wealthy (by our standards) and luckily we didn't go overboard as we lost a HUGE chunk in the tail end of the GFC and I have been going crazy trying to hold on to our assets ever since.
Didn't lose anything in the GFC, but had two other events that caused us a heap of financial stress.

What was hardest was the drop in living standards and the fear that came with it. I remembered struggling in 89/90 and how awful it was. It was very, very hard to adjust our lifestyle back down and it still messes with my head every. single. day. But at least I have the skills to live cheaply and make a comeback.

Had I never been "poor", I don't think we would have made it.

Yep, I know exactly what you mean. Having lived through the 80's, then having two other very difficult events, I go into survival mode at the first hint of anything bad. I know how to live on next to nothing. I know it's only temporary. I don't enjoy doing it, but I know that short term pain will give long term gain.

I'm hoping those days are behind me now, although the future is never guaranteed, is it?
 
Do you think people who have been poor or bankrupt if they become rich truly know how to appreciate it??
........
Anyway,
What's everyone's thoughts, are you more grounded if you've experienced financial hardship?

As you say we meet people from all different backgrounds and different walks in life... However, I once heard on the radio an interesting observation when asked what happens when a person wins lots of money, so do they change?
One lady summed it up perfectly IMO, she said, "If you are a good and humble person with little money than lots of more money will make you a bigger person you were, similarly, if you are a bad person with immoral habits, than lots of more money will make you a bigger person you were!"
So I do not think it matters from what financial background you came from, rather what kind of person, or human being you were, rather your personal values as a human would be more important, don't you agree?:)
 
Not necesarily. Kerry and Rupert have never been and look what they achieved. It's all about the mindset and some poorer folks are as bad as rich sheltered or spoilt folks. At the end of the day God has a path for us all and for most people, it's failure or mediocrity.
 
I think a coach is key to becoming wealthy. The only coach we usually have when we are growing up are our parents. If our parents grew up dirt poor, then we usually learn from their mistakes but you can only learn from mistakes if they are recognised as mistakes.

Too many Australian families take what we have in this country for granted. So many people are just smart enough to know how to run the machines in the factory but are just ignorant enough not to ask questions or know they can achieve so much more.

I was born here and so were my parents. Working in a factory for 40 years and then retiring on the pension is their plan... Me, I don't have a plan yet...
 
At the end of the day God has a path for us all

That's such a cop out. We make our own "path" wether we like it or not. Its just that people who are ignorant to the possibilities out there need a crutch to help them not feel bad about the $hitty situations they are in.

Me included... Things could be better, but im not relying on a "God" to help or blame...
 
Happy for the unsuccessful to blame god, rather than come after me. As Napoleon said (or was it Genghis Khan or Julius Caesar), religion is used to control the poor.
 
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