This post is for Blog Action Day 2008 that is about Poverty.

It’s also a supplement to my last post on how to start your own business because the issue of money is unavoidable when you quit your job and make the leap of faith. (Photo by Kaptain Krispy Kreme)

Real cause of poverty

When we think about poverty, it’s so easy to focus on the existing tragedies such as the homeless people or the starving children in Africa. I feel for them, but I’m asking you to put those issues aside for a moment and think why poverty exists. Let’s take care of the root cause first.

Now imagine two individuals – two brothers, with the same educational background. Will they achieve the same level of financial status as they proceed in life? We’ve seen similar cases and know they won’t, right? So what makes one succeed, while the other fails miserably? It’s their thinking. One is focused on wealth, abundance, and success, and the other only sees lack and poverty in and around him.

In my previous bank job, I was told never to judge customers by their appearances. A stinky homeless-like guy may have tens of thousands of dollars while the guy in nice suit may be deep in debt. (As bank employees, we knew this.) I also read that Donald Trump once said, when the economy was down, that the homeless guys had more net worth than himself because they had some coins in their papercups while he was deep in debt.

So what makes Donald Trump rich? He focuses on abundance and success. While the guy on the street worries like crazy and never touches his savings.

Kiva: Empowering the have-nots

This understanding that poverty starts not from external lacks but from the internal scarcity thoughts has taken roots in our social awareness. For example, charity. Charity used to be about sending money to the needy. This only helped the needy superficially and temporarily. Now organizations like Kiva lends money to the people who currently don’t have the money but are willing to make some. They treat the people as those who have the full potential to become rich – just not there yet. This is empowering.

Do you still think there are absolute poverty? People who just can’t climb up from poverty because of their outwardly circumstances? Well, I’m not going to argue – there may be because this physical world is not perfect. For those of you who think that way, however, the real question may be: Are you using their poverty as an excuse for you to stay stuck?

I’ve seen this pattern of thought. For example, Po Bronson’s book, What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question describes people who say something like “Oh, but those poor immigrants . . . they take the worst jobs . . . I feel bad being so picky about what I want to do in my life . . .” As an immigrant myself, I say BS. Don’t use us as an excuse of your procrastination and lack of courage. For the same token, don’t use people in poverty as your excuse. Pick up after yourself and the world will be a better place.

10 principles of spiritual money practice to eliminate poverty and to become rich yourself

There are a lot you can do right here and now to decrease the world poverty, and only you can do them because they are about your own spirit. In the meantime, they will make you rich

Here are the principles of spiritual money practice (I will be explaining them into more details in my future posts):

1. Let go of your scarcity thoughts. One by one, as they surface in your mind.
2. At the same time, expand your spirit to allow higher level of abundance for yourself and others. (My Dream Money Project is a fun way to do this.)
3. Accept money as a form of natural abundance. There is nothing dirty or evil about money. We can do a lot of good things with money.
4. Learn to see the current situation, financial or not, as a vehicle to learn the valuable lessons rather than being stuck in it.
5. Learn to see the possibilities behind what meets your eye. There are a lot of opportunities to make money.
6. Take responsibility for your own life. Don’t wait until you win the lottery to do what you want to do. Use the power of your free will and free choice to create your own life.
7. See abundance in nature. Be amazed how God (or any name Divinity) has made this physical world so abundant and beautiful. Isn’t the sunrise literally priceless?
8. See everyone as your equals and treat them with respect. Money goes around and comes through people.
9. Start your day with gratitude and end your day with gratitude.
10. Enjoy giving.

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur – the startup money issue

You might want to do some math how much money reserve you need to quit your corporate job and start your own business. Alternatively, you can take a part-time job or rely on your family’s income. But still, there is a point when you cut your umbilical cord and step into the unknown. No amount of money can make this transition completely safe.

When I was starting as a new entrepreneur, I often thought about the Kiva beneficiary in another country that I was supporting. Or about Muhammad Yunus, the banker to the poor, and his story of lending money to a woman who wanted to buy a goat to eventually sell its milk. (If my memory serves me well, she expanded her business further and later became Mr. Yunus’ business partner) It gave me tremendous courage in the uncertain days of early entrepreneurship.

What is your money hangups? Write them in the comment as a way to overcome them!

Further reading: This book review is about how to become a millionaire.

I am so excited to deliver the first post in the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series.

As I maintained in If You Want To Become An Entrepreneur, Be With Entrepreneurs, it is critical for aspiring entrepreneurs to learn the entrepreneur mindset directly from successful entrepreneurs. So I scout out successful entrepreneurs online and offline and ask for interviews.

My definition of “successful entrepreneur” is someone who has built a profitable business that resonates with who he or she is.

If you are not happy with your enterprise, it is not worth bothering to build the business. It is about passion. At the same time, it is not only about passion – it is a business, so it must be profitable. When you clear these two criteria, then it is up to you how far you want to take it. I respect the owner of a closely held micro business just as much as the owner of a multi billion dollar public corporation.

If you are such a successful entrepreneur, please contact me. I’d be honored to interview you.

Now the feature interview. Christine O’Kelly is a SEO marketing and copywriting expert. She has been writing and publishing since childhood. Moreover, she was an accomplished salesperson in her previous jobs and brings that experience into her business. Be sure to also check SEO Copywriter and her outstanding blog, Self Made Chick.

1. Tell us a bit about your business.

As an SEO copywriter, I help businesses market themselves online by creating content that is optimized for search engines – and most importantly, for humans. I provide website content, press releases, landing pages, articles – and many other types of content that help businesses increase their search engine ranking and build engaging relationships with their customers.

2. What were the biggest challenges when you were starting off as a new entrepreneur?

Certainly one of my biggest (perceived) challenges was having no capital whatsoever. I mean, I was really broke. I barely had enough just to pay the rent, internet, and phone bill. Just after I quit my job, my computer broke and I started my business on a $100 clunker that I bought on Craigslist. When you are broke like that, your spirit can feel really weak – and that is probably what is more difficult than actually being broke is feeling helpless.

Another challenge was that I didn’t think that I was good enough. I think that is a lie that everyone tells themselves. Everyone is good enough to provide some level of service no matter where we are on the
expert curve.

3. And how did you work through these challenges?

It wasn’t an accident that I ended up in this situation where I was broke. I put myself there knowingly. I had tried to start businesses on the side for years, but because I didn’t NEED them to succeed, they didn’t. When I quit my job and had no other options, I knew that I was either going to have to make it, or else. I knew that if I had a life preserver that I would get desperate and grab onto it so I jumped in without one.

I knew that I, like most people, had a habit of justifying ways of not pushing forward when things got tough. That might mean saying “I’m tired, I think I’ll go watch something mindless on TV just to unwind and let my brain relax.” I didn’t want to give myself any excuses not to be 100% focused. I got rid of TV for 2 years and only read books or occasionally watched movies. I was vigilant about only putting information into my mind that I thought would benefit me on my quest to become successful. That may be a little extreme, but I put myself into an extreme situation and I decided to take extreme measures.

4. What is the best part of being an entrepreneur for you?

The best part about being an entrepreneur is that you can see so many more possibilities in business and in life. Suddenly, anything really is possible. When I was working the 9-5, I had heard that this was possible and wanted it to be true, but I never felt that. It’s like there is this invisible dimension right next to us that you cannot see unless you are in the right mindset.

5. Any advice for people who dream to have their own business and yet find it hard to make the leap?

Really, you just have to do it. You have to stop thinking that you’re insignificant and that you can’t possibly make a difference because you can. Someone needs exactly what you have to offer. You need to go for it even if your competitors are more established. You need to go for it even if you’re not an expert yet. A little bit of action over a long period of time ends up to be something quite significant.

My Takeaway

Thank you, Christine. I am so impressed with her focus on success. Becoming an entrepreneur does involve risks and it is scary – we need to focus on moving forward despite the fear. It is also intriguing that she points out the sense of new possibilities as the #1 reward of entrepreneurship. We can make money in so many ways, but the spiritual awakening is priceless.

Enjoyed this interview? Read on to the next interview here.