Breaking Night: Liz Murray’s Relentless Journey of Determination
I was looking online for something to inspire and uplift me this morning and literally stumbled upon the story of Liz Murray. I had Googled ‘rags to riches’ and that’s where I found her. She was #9. on the Top 10 Rags to Riches Stories list, a list I never even knew existed. Even if you’re one of those people who doesn’t dream of extreme wealth, her story is one that not only needs to be told, but shared with everyone you know. Liz is one of the people who will show just how far determination, confidence, and perseverance can get you in life, no matter if you start from the very bottom. Her story is about overcoming the odds and reinventing yourself.
She was born in the Bronx. Her family of origin was on welfare and both parents were cocaine addicts. Her mother an HIV-infected drug addict/alcohol and schizophrenic died of AIDS at 42, when Liz was only 15. Her father then abandoned both her and her older sister by moving into a men’s shelter. They now had to fend for themselves. She went to high school and wound up sleeping in subways, park benches, or at a friend’s home. She ate out of garbage cans.
She did not fall into the trap of self-pity. It was a luxury she couldn’t afford in her crime-ridden New York neighborhood. She had lived a life of enabling her parents and spent her nights looking out the window to make sure they returned home safely from scoring drugs. She wrote an essay about her experiences as a homeless teenager and from it she won a New York Times Scholarship for needy students. This would prove to be her ticket out.
She was accepted into Harvard University in the fall of 2000. But subsequently left the following year to begin her career in motivational speaking. She wanted to be closer to her sick father so she transferred to Columbia to continue on with her education.
Her life was an inspiration to many. Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story aired on the Lifetime network in 2003. She has been awarded The White House Project Role Model Award, a Christopher Award, as well as the Chutzpah Award, which was given to her by Oprah Winfrey.
In 2010 her book Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard revealed that her older sister graduated from college and become a school teacher for autistic children, and that her father died of AIDS in 2006. She finished her education at Harvard in June of 2009 and continues to take graduate courses to become a clinical psychologist. It is her dream to be able to counsel people from all walks of life.
After years of truancy, sleeping on NYC streets and shoplifting food to survive, she was emotionally and spiritually bankrupt. Now Liz is an American inspirational speaker who speaks out about determination. She believes no matter how hard life is, you have to move on. You must continue to work your way through the battles. She teaches us that she could overcome hardships to achieve success.
Manifest Living is a New York–based company that empowers adults to create the results they want in their own lives. Liz is the founder and director of this amazing organization. Her passion now is to help transform the lives of others. Now that’s what I call a relentless journey!
The best news that’s out there today: there is an affordable solution that addresses the issues of living a life of abundance and it’s found in WMI. There are many relentless people and ‘rags to riches’ stories of people who have truly turned their lives around. They can show you a brighter future one that is true to yourself, and your family. The programs give you the ability to really love the life that you have and be happy with the life that you have created. For more information please feel free to click on the link for a very special wealth opportunity
The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life
You may know Ivanka Trump as one of the most recognized and influential business women of our time, but what she shares in The Trump Card is positive advice for any generation. She’s the Executive Vice President of Development & Acquisitions, and in charge of the domestic and global expansion of The Trump Organization’s real estate interests. Her extraordinary talents include; one time fashion model, jewelery designer [Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry], world famous media personality, NBC’s Emmy nominated, globally syndicated “The Apprentice” as an advisor and now one of the stars of NBC’s widely successful “Celebrity Apprentice,” and author who is focused on doing the right thing, and presently involved at with three different charities.
In March 2010, Ivanka announced her involvement in the U.N. Foundations Girl Up initiative. The campaign’s aim is to recruit young women to support U.N. programs for girls in developing countries. It’s a cause Ivanka believes in. She’s a woman who cares and is partnering with well-known social activists: Elizabeth Gore and Queen Rania of Jordan, the program hopes to bring awareness and career skills to young women around the world. “Ivanka is a natural role model to young women worldwide and her dedication to adolescent girls and UN issues made her a natural fit for the UN Foundation’s Girl Up Campaign,” said Kathy Bushkin Calvin, Chief Executive Officer of the UN Foundation. “Working together, we can give girls in developing countries a chance to live up to their potential as the bright, talented girls that they are and set them on the path of becoming the strong, independent and healthy women of tomorrow.”
In August of 2010 The Ivanka Trump $30 Girl Up Bracelet made it’s debut in InStyle magazine. One hundred percent of the proceeds from this bracelet will provide the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls with basic needs such as access to school supplies, clean water, life-saving health services, safety from violence, and more. It is a cause Ivanka is deeply passionate about!
Ivanka also devotes time to her younger brother’s charity, the Eric Trump Foundation [St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital] and NYC Police Foundation [whose goal is to promote excellence and improve public safety in the NYPD].
Inspiration. Success. Confidence. Passion.
Although no one is born with these qualities they are the key ingredients for reaching goals, building careers, or turning a blueprint into a breathtaking skyscraper. Her life lessons and hard-won insights have made her nothing short of a rising star in the business world.
She wrote the book because she was eager to share what she’s learned at one of the best schools in the country; the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania. She has learned much from both her parents about drive and ambition and exceeding expectations. Many describe her as a straight shooter and fully self-aware. She realizes not only the opportunities she’s been given, but the opportunities that she’s been able to create for herself. Ivanka takes ownership for her privilege and acknowledges her advantages. She used to be a very private person, but with reality TV that changed all that. What you see is what you get; intelligence, unbridled ambition; graciousness and humility.
If you’re trying to land that first job, navigate the workplace, or make a lasting impact, her valuable, practical advice for young women shows them how to:
• Use uncertainty to your advantage-thrive in any environment
• Step up and get noticed at work-focus and efficiency will open doors
• Create a strong and consistent identity-your name and reputation are your best assets
• Know what you want-get the most out of any negotiation.
The book contains insightful and memorable “Bulletins” from her BlackBerry. These are a collection of messages that she has received over the years from people she truly admires. One of today’s brightest leaders is Arianna Huffington who taught her “there is nothing more important than not giving into the fears and judgments we drain our spirits with.” Over the years she’s learned from the best and has been lucky enough to align herself with Russell Simmons, Jonathan Tisch, and Chris DeWolfe, just to name a few. “We’ve all been dealt a winning hand,” she writes, “and it is up to each of us to play it right and smart.”
The best news that’s out there today: there are many amazing female and male entrepreneurs found in WMI. The amazing people there can show you a brighter future one that is true to yourself, and your family. The programs give you the ability to really love the life that you have and be happy with the life that you have created. For more information please feel free to click on the link for a very special wealth opportunity
Suze Orman: The New Financial Dream for Middle Class Americans
This country needs more women like Suze Orman. She’s the woman millions of Americans have turned to for financial advice. This financial guru and tell-it-like-it-is female entrepreneur teaches her readers how to transform their thinking and reimagine the American Dream. She’s actually created a new financial dream for middle class Americans in her new book called The Money Class. It’s the 10th book she’s written about money and in it she talks about how much times have changed. The book was released in March, 2011 to rave reviews. The secret to her success is that she urges people to get honest about both their debt and their lives. She feels it’s time to take control over our present – right here, right now in order to build a brighter future.
The American Dream as we know it said that if you work hard you will get ahead. However, the dream as we know it has changed, dramatically. Everyone knows we have witnessed tough economic times in this current downturn and the cause is rooted on both fronts: political and economic. In order to reclaim America as a middle-class nation we need to understand exactly what has gone wrong but more importantly, what can be done to fix it.
In addition, the foundation of middle-class America has changed dramatically. The American dream was supposed to be an aspiration, but never a guarantee. After the second World War the dream came pretty close to being a reality. With the help of the GI bill, millions of Americans were able to get college degrees or vocational training, buy a home or start a business. Many businesses were unionized and employers provided decent wages and developed great health and pension benefits that provided security to employees and their families. Secure retirement and peace of mind was synonymous with Social Security and Medicare.
How is the American Dream different than it was before? Suze believes that most American’s dream of owning a home, working one job for life and retiring at 65 has been altered dramatically by the financial crisis. In an excerpt from her book she states the middle class has disappeared and she’s afraid “We have a highway to poverty and no roads coming out. I fear for [those] who have been kicked out of their homes, could be living on the streets and don’t know how to get another job. Many of the millions of jobs lost I don’t think are coming back. I am really afraid for the majority of Americans today.” she says.
Other factors that have altered the dream as well and we need to consider education and how it has been funded. The United States has gone from the world leader in college completion to a merely a mediocre performer. College tuition has skyrocketed and their costs have been financed through loans. This has proven to be a burden to many students and their parents as they struggle to repay these loans.
In regards to pensions and social insurance this job-based framework of economic security is basically broken. Many pensions that Americans thought were secured have vanished. Even the tax-deferred savings accounts such as the 401K are just not filling the void. Additionally the rising medical costs that currently exist continue to outstrip inflation, not to mention employment-based health-insurance benefits that are becoming less protective.
“The whole purpose of this book is to learn how to create a new American dream, a dream that is based in reality, not fantasy.” says Orman. One of the issues that the book deals with issues that many struggle with on a daily basis credit card debt and student loans. Parents borrow money to send their children to college. But it might not be the most practical solution. By thinking backward, she says you have to think about not your child’s responsibility toward this goal, but your own. “What is the bottom-line number that you’re going to be able to pay back toward a student loan responsibly if you’re doing it yourself after you have a job?” says Orman. It’s practical to note that what ever that amount is will dictate the amount of money you can borrow. Which in turn will be the determining factor of what school they can go to, not to mention the duration.
The best news that’s out there today: there is an affordable solution that addresses the issues of money management and it’s found in WMI. The amazing people there can show you a brighter future one that is true to yourself, and your family. The programs give you the ability to really love the life that you have and be happy with the life that you have created. For more information please feel free to click on the link for a very special wealth opportunity
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