---

I had known him awhile, so he felt comfortable talking about this.

“So you’ve got about half a million dollars in stock?” I asked, impressed.

“Yep, it’s been growing since I was young,” he answered.

“And plus all your savings, a couple hundred thousand there.  Nice,” I said.

He motioned his thumb up, “More than that.”

My eyes grew wide. “How much?”

“At least 5-6 hundred thousand,” he said.

“You’re a millionaire,” I said, shocked.

He grew agitated. “Yea, but not like those rich guys, who aren’t paying their fair share.”

 

---

Another friend now…

“I think he gave me the apartment and car because he wants to keep me needing him,” he said.

“I don’t understand,” I said.

“I work for him, so he lets me have the apartment and car for free,” he said, “but I think he’s trying to control me, keep me dependent on him.”

“Yea, I think he wants to keep you,” I was confused. “Did you not want him to give them to you?”

“You don’t understand,” he shook his head.

---

It doesn’t matter how much you get, if you don’t have gratitude for what you have, you’ll never be satisfied.

And it doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing, because your fear will make you forever suspect them for conspiring to take from you.

But with self-esteem, you realize you don’t need anyone’s permission to make your own decisions.

The power you think they have over you is YOUR power.

Take your power back. It’s always been your’s. No matter how much money you have.

The millionaire and the one without money. Both can be poor.