There are certain things I vowed I would not do when I rose out of poverty.  Most important, I promised myself I would make sure never to complain about things that are really blessings.  When I worked at Lord & Taylor in college there was a woman who came in and spent almost $1,000 on clothes (and this was the early ’90’s) as she complained to me the whole time about how EXHAUSTING it was.  All the while I was rushing in and out of the fitting room getting her different sizes and I thought to myself A) she didn’t have to work, B) she had money to buy all those new clothes, and C) she was going to have lunch in the mall afterwards.  I was left to put away a veritable mountain of clothing the woman had thoughtlessly left behind in an enormous pile on the floor.  I told myself it was a good thing because getting them all back on hangers and in the right place helped pass the time.  I worked one hour a day just to eat at the La Madeline in the mall once a week and speak French with my friend the cashier Jacqueline.  Even then I could only afford a salad.  Today I was feeling overwhelmed about weeds cropping up in our yard and the fountains not working again.  I was hauling out our few tools when I stopped and thought at least we actually have a house with land to take care of!  It is a huge blessing and I am ashamed I had to remind myself; I vowed never to forget.  My little one came out to help (really play) while I worked and I told her how lucky we were to have our own home with beautiful trees and that it was a lovely day to be out tending to them.  The American politician Mark Warner once said:

“My success was due to good luck, hard work, and support and advice from friends and mentors.  But most importantly, it depended on me to keep trying after I had failed.”

Too often I feel success is defined in terms of the material.  My father taught me to have goals in life that had nothing to do with having money.  Success involves not only good luck but hard work as well.  However I believe perseverance and a good attitude are life’s greatest tools.