1. “We don’t need no education…” Drop out of school, fail to complete a basic education, and the odds are heavily stacked against your chances of achieving success in life. If you are in college, don’t waste your time studying. Go to the clubs every night and have fun. First you’ll lose that free education lottery money, and then you’ll probably flunk out. However, you or your parents won’t have to pay those tuition bills or buy expensive textbooks anymore. If you think that education is expensive, try ignorance.
2. Develop an addiction. This is an excellent way to waste money and ruin your health. Cocaine, heroin, crack, crystal meth, etc. are quick ways to a life of poverty, crime, and hell. If you choose to partake of these illegal and dangerous substances, the chances are very high that you will end up in jail. Time spent in prison will drastically reduce your earning power and chances for a decent job. I personally know a bright young man who tried to join the military, knowing that he desperately needed structure and discipline to turn his life around. Guess what? A prior drug conviction kept him out of every branch of the armed services. Now he works a dead-end job and continues substance abuse. What a way to go. Chronic alcoholism is an age-old choice that has ruined many careers and relationships. Habitual gambling works very well also. It is true that some drug and alcohol abusers can function and some compulsive gamblers win. It is also true that the addictions almost always win in the end.
3. Go to jail. Nothing will send your job application and resume to the trash can quicker than a criminal record. Even if you don’t do “hard time,” convictions for shoplifting, writing bad checks, driving under the influence, etc. will almost certainly cause the great majority of potential employers to reject you. You simply won’t be seen as trustworthy.
4. Stay in a low-paying, dead-end job. A low paying job is fine if you are early in your career and striving for something better. Or perhaps you really love what you do and can afford to work for little money. The sad fact, however, is that too many people hate their jobs and barely earn enough to make ends meet. You may just love working at that trendy store in the mall, but ask yourself if you want to be doing the same thing twenty or thirty years from now? Do you want to spend eight hours a day standing on your feet, then have to go home to cook dinner and deal with the demands of your family? Do you want to work for minimum wage and no benefits when you are the age your parents are now? We live in a country of boundless opportunities. We live in a country where the son of minority immigrants was able to rise to the rank of four star general, become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and complete his distinguished career of public service as Secretary of State. How was this possible? It’s called ambition. The choice is yours. Think about it.
5. Hang out with under-achievers. If you wish to be poor, hang out with drop-outs, lounge lizards, lay-abouts, bums, substance abusers, and those who waste life’s opportunities. Soon, their habits, ambitions, goals, and outlook on life will be yours. Your relationships decide your self-concept. Your success in life will be decided by who you listen to and believe. This in turn determines how you see yourself. All of our lives, we have heard “You are judged by the company that you keep.” This is so true. The company you keep determines how others see you and how you see yourself. If your friends and associates are not trying to better themselves in life, then neither will you.
6. Go into debt. Borrowing to buy a home, to finance an education , or to purchase investment property can be wise. Borrowing for consumer goods, meals, entertainment, etc, is NOT wise. An excellent way to have a life of poverty is to max out your credit cards and keep borrowing more money until your debts are overwhelming and you are forced into bankruptcy.
7. Don’t save. Here are directions for a trip down the road of poverty: Spend all you earn. Live above your means. When you get a bonus or extra money, blow it on having a good time. Live like there is no tomorrow.
8. Ignore your health. Engage in dangerous activities that put you at risk. Be sure to smoke, as it is proven to cause lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease. We know that using smokeless tobacco causes oral cancer. Be sure to bake yourself in the sun, as that may lead to skin cancer. Don’t exercise. Eat a high fat, low fiber diet high in sugar. Don’t forget to abuse drugs and alcohol. Never buckle your seatbelt. Don’t waste time and money on regular medical and dental exams. The main cause of personal bankruptcy is uncontrollable medical costs. You may have medical insurance, but a major illness or accident can still ruin your finances for life. Let’s say that you are in intensive care for a couple of months and require several surgeries. You receive the best high tech medical care that America has to offer. Your hospital bill is over a million dollars, and your insurance pays 80%. Now you owe over $200,000, and can’t work because of your health. Most of us know someone who has ended up like this.
Countless people born into poverty, even dire poverty, have overcome it with hard work and wise lifestyle choices. The great Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung said: “I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” Poverty is no laughing matter. It will always be present in the world. It just makes good sense not to pursue a lifestyle that will surely take you there.
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