13 Real Stories of People Overcoming Poverty to Achieve the American Dream

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Everyone has the dream of someday becoming rich.  Some have wealth given to them through luck, family, or pure hard work. You never know when you could break the chain of being broke and become rich, but it is possible.

Here are some inspiring stories to keep that dream alive.

1. Hard Work

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“Read, learned, exercised, went to night school, got a GED, went to university (got a loan for that), learned to live on beans and rice for six years, got a contract job in my industry, worked, studied, learned, took every minute of work that came my way,” says a user.

Hard work and sacrifices will get you to where you want to be. Due to his hard work, this individual was able to save $10,000 to start his own business.

2. Family

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This participant claims he grew up with addictive parents who did not treat him well, so he was motivated to start a good family. He states, “I’ve worked every day since I was 16 and stayed far away from my family. My wife and kids are my rock and keep me working hard and pushing to be better.”

Family can be a huge motivator to become successful and provide for the people you love.

3. Homeless Laborer

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A forum participant shared how he had been homeless, bouncing from shelter to shelter and hustling people for money. One day, his cousin had brought him to a place where you are hired for the day to do construction labor, and at the end of the day, they write you a check for your work.

When working, he would work twice as hard as everyone else, and he states that “The boss came during the day and saw me carrying 2 steel 5-gallon pails filled to the top with mud up the stairs and out the back door constantly, while the other two workers were barely filling one 2-gallon drywall mud pail.

He took me aside and said, ‘You’re not going back to the agency tomorrow, you’re hired.'” From there, he learned a few trades and makes a great living to this day.

4. Grad School

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One individual says that they had finished grad school, used the degree to get a good-paying job, and lived a conservative lifestyle. This user claimed they grew up poor, so losing the mentality of living poor is a very different lifestyle to come out of.

Another contributor commented, saying, “That broke mentality stays with you,”  implying once you are broke, it is hard to shop as someone who may not be broke anymore.

5. Tech Company

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A forum commenter dreamed of going into the tech market, where they would ultimately make great money. To do this, they had to return to college at 24 and get their degree to work hard and get an internship. This being their dream forced them to work harder, but that perseverance led to their ultimate success.

6. Affordable Education

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These users took it upon themselves to figure out how to make money independently. Growing up poor, they didn’t know much about how to make money, but luckily, their country had affordable education.

With that, they took advantage of it and got a diploma later, resulting in a full-time job. This affordable schooling allowed them to get an education and become successful out of it.

7. Scholarships

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“I got scholarships and had a full ride to college. My friends were paying crazy amounts in tuition,” Using your intelligence to get scholarships and a free ride to college is a great way to break out of being poor and prevent massive debt in the future. Those scholarships could get you through college without spending a single dime.

8. A Plan

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A former banker and financial adviser’s best advice for the world would be to have a plan. He formed a plan early on in his life and followed it with a dream of being retired early. He commented, “My wife and I set a goal to be mostly retired and living on our sailboat by 40.

She used to roll her eyes at me when I pulled out my notebook every month or two and completely reevaluated every step in getting there. Well, I’m sitting here typing this from my boat on the way to the Caribbean at 39.” Having a plan and sticking to it may be very important for a successful life.

9. Riding Solo

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Another forum participant claimed leaving your group of friends behind may be your best decision, primarily if they do not push you as much as they should. As the old saying goes, you are a product of your environment.

If your friends are lazy and have no motivation, then that is likely how you will end up. Surround yourself with people who lift you and want to see you succeed.

10. Self Practice

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Teaching yourself a skill may be very vital in your life, as another participant offered. They learned another language. to help them move forward. Being bilingual can be very beneficial as they explain, “Instead of being at best a truck driver, I became a linguist.” Growing up poor, learning this second language was life-changing for this person.

11. Trash Collector

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While looked down upon in society, being a trash collector is a great career to go about. Besides the early wake-up call, this job does not require any college and can make great money.

One individual states “My brother is a trash man. It’s a union gig making $85k per year with a pension.” This salary is way above average in the United States and could continue to increase.

12. Right Opportunity

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Taking advantage of the right opportunity could make or break your success. Being in the right place and right time may be huge to jumpstart your career whether it may be in college, internship, or in a random conversation. Having the right opportunity may look something like a friend’s mom or dad having the job you may want. Talking to them and figuring out how to get there will be incredibly helpful in finding success.

13. Discipline

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Similar to growing up poor and having a “broke” mentality, having strict discipline with what you buy and how often you work may be the road to success. Being rich does not have to come with going to college and getting a degree; working with what you have and what you are capable of is the best you can do.

Acting like you are living paycheck to paycheck to save every penny is a great way to start building a solid foundation for good discipline.

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Source: Forum

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