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I was going to share a story, but it always ends up being too long, but in a nutshell, I’ve been poor, forced to live on a very tight budget. I was looking for work and living with my mother at the time, who was part-time with failing health.

One time when I was at my local grocery store I got all my items except that I think I wanted a jar of peanut butter but I didn’t have enough cash. I’ve been pretty tough all my life and we had been struggling financially for a couple of years.

I was suddenly hit with a powerful wave of emotion, sadness, self-pity over not being able to afford this simple item. I quickly snuck into an empty aisle because I was afraid I’d break down and start crying and didn’t want anyone to see me, it takes a lot to get me to that breaking point. After about 5 to 10 mins of trying to calm myself down, I finally regained my composure and paid for my groceries and left.

After that I resolved to work harder to find a decent job and eventually I did. I also learned to always set aside at least $5-10k in cash/savings for car repairs, moving, job loss and other emergencies that could come up. At the time I was taking a bus and couldn’t afford insurance for the car, but thankfully at least we had one.

Once I started working again, I was able to get the car running after a few months, which is a lifesaver in the cold Canadian winters. Also I cut my commute time from about 1 hr by public transit to 15 mins by car. We also built up our savings, moved to a better place and have been doing much better ever since…this was about 15 yrs ago.

Now I’m looking to get to the next level…hopefully we’ll be able to get out of renting and into owning in the next year or two….but that is a longshot at the moment.

If your situation is that bad where you can barely meet your basic needs, then it’s time to make that your focus.

For example if you’re a student, then suspend your studies, get a full time job and move to a nicer place. Perhaps your sister is old enough to work, so that dual income will make a big difference. Also don’t be ashamed of going on welfare if you have to, to get you back on your feet until you find a job, assuming they have it in your area.

Once you’re living in a better place, your mood will improve a lot, your confidence will grow and then you can go back to your studies or try to find a work-school balance so you can do both.

All I can say to the lower income people here is learn from my example. I know what it is to be poor and to suffer over years…put your life and survival first, everything else comes after.

As for job interviews/controlling your emotions, we all have to just suck it up and put on an act. Laughing on the outside crying on the inside as they say. I didn’t quite grasp that phrase until I went through it myself.

If you want a better life, you have to work hard for it (assuming you have no health issues stopping you).