Homeless but Happy

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September 2019, the year before the plague,

My best mate and I had taken our regular long weekend break in Nice. Sami’s a good mate, the best and we’ve travelled the world together for work and for pleasure. It was during one of our trips away that a chance meeting with a homeless person had a profound and humbling impact on my thinking about money.

Most of the posh hotels in Nice have their own private section of beach and the most exclusive is the Negresco beach. Rooms in the Negresco hotel start at about 350 euros a night for a very small cupboard through to several thousand a day for a beach view. Only Negresco guests can use their beach and security staff and servers ensure this is adhered to.

So it was, on this particular day that we’d just had lunch in Queenies and were now wandering along the promenade enjoying the sun. Sami, who’s Indian, stopped and turned to me.

Buckers, he said, Buckers, see that bloke there, I’m really jealous of him. He’s obviously European, but he’s got a better sun tan than me and he can sit in the sun all day, all summer. We’ve got to go back to work next week. And it was true.

This chap was one of Nice’s homeless people and we saw him most times when we were there. Always on the Negresco beach, the Meridian beach or another hotel’s patch.

Just then, he came up the steps to the Boulevard so we stopped him.

How can you go on the private beaches, but we can’t.

He told us that every summer he “patrolled” the private beaches, he was an accepted feature of the beach. If any of the guests wanted a bottle of water, cigarettes, wine, he would go to the shops for them whilst they remained on the beach in the sun. Most times he was told to keep the change. Not bad, two bottles of water 2 euros and keep the change from the 5 euro note.

As the guests left the beach, if they had any food left over, they gave it to this very helpful and polite homeless man. So, snacking on leftover salmon sandwiches with caviar tonight. Chicken pasta yesterday with half a bottle of left over expensive wine and all free.

At night he slept on the beach, it was always warm at night, and he kept an eye on the deckchairs and beach tables. In return, the hotel staff would bring him a breakfast and coffee in the morning.

He really was content with his life and it made us think – why are WE always chasing money.

And the point of all this…

He’d not been dealt a good card hand some years earlier, but he made the most of what he’d got. This amounted to no money and no house but he had got his health and a willingness to help others. So he used those to carve himself a little niche on the beachfront, year after year. He was respected and trusted and he didn’t want anything else.

As he said, everything I need is here, I don’t want to change anything, I’m happy.

And isn’t that the most important thing, to have just what you need without the greed or desire to have more than anyone else.

Dwell on this. We’re all here at WA because we want something better. But that better “thing” needn’t be an out of this world luxury item or bucket loads of cash. That day I learnt that contentment and a willingness to help will bring rewards and richness of life.

Don’t just include money targets in your business plan, put in some physical and emotional goals too. What will really make you happy, what will you do with the money, what physical needs do you have for the money. Those are the goals, the money is just means.

I’ve come to realise that everybody sees big dollar signs, which is great, but even more motivating is to have an objective need for that money. To buy a house, to have a holiday each year, something that will make you content with your life. You can visualise a house, it can give you the momentum to work harder. You can see yourself on holiday and hear the sea shimmering on the beach, the things that you want, the things that mean something deep inside.

What will really make you happy, what is it that you really need and what will you do to get it.

You have to give something to get something back

Good luck and good planning.

Bux

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Recent Comments

57

Fun read, nicely done!

There's one other point I'd like to expand on from your story. This man found a niche, a need that needed to be met, and as a result was rewarded with food, a place to sleep, and enough tip money to meet his needs. The purpose of our sites is to find a need in a niche, meet that need, and enjoy the fruits of our labor as well. Your friend did it in the physical world; we're trying to do the same online.

Exactly Jeannine and so better explained than me.
I wonder if he will still be there in 2022, if the French let us back in, the Brits are barred from France at the moment.
Thanks
Bux

Hello Bux,

Thanks for sharing this poignant story about this homeless man. This was a lesson in humanity.

You bring up a critical point about our business. When we focus on the money, the chances are we will not get what we expect.

When we focus on helping others get what they need, riches will come our way. This homeless man had become an expert in this philosophy.

Kyle makes this very clear in the training. We must become experts in knowing who our audience is in our chosen niche, to the point we can become very good at finding out what they want and giving it to them.

Those who succeed beyond their wildest dreams, and we know who they are in Wealthy Affiliate, have made this teaching a part of their DNA.

It's as simple as that!

Cheers.

Edwin

Excellent response Edwin. Give and receive.

~ Marijana

Nice one, Dave!
We can always appreciate what we have when we see others struggle.
Love the attitude!
Here in Houston we have many homeless.
I'm more inclined to seek out the guy that cleans windshields, while we wait for the light.
Often, their smiles and sometimes a song, shoes they are having fun, while providing a service.
Attitude goes a long way, and often brings some hefty tips!
I was in Nice, back in 1960. I ate something of the calamari, squid type genre and was sick for several days. Still don't eat that today! LOL
Thanks for the perspective!
Barb

Thanks Barb.
Yes, we have a local "sans abri" and he's ALWAYS happy. he cleans peoples cars on the town car park and most times forgets to take the money. He's just happy and glad of the company.
Nice, yes if you're not used to the seafood it can be upsetting. A favourite there is RAW seafood. It has to be super fresh though.
There are some fantastic restaurants there but some of the tastiest food is at the African and Asian cafes where the locals eat, its a lot cheaper and the ambiance, the singing and talking is great.
We shall wait and see what this Covid crisis has left behind.
Take care.
Dave.

Hey, Dave. Thanks for sharing a great story, and your thoughts about it.

I was homeless myself, unfortunately I was nowhere near a beach, and it was for an entire winter, in Calgary, Canada!

But there was still a liberty about it that I hadn't known, prior. It is hard to explain. But I can relate to much of what you have said.

I don't know how relevant it is, but you reminded me of the Beatles line, "And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make".

Craig

Love this song, Craig.
Yes, so true.
Barb

Love that album! It opened up a whole world for me. Before hearing it I thought it was all "Yeah, yeah yeah, love me do", so I listened to The Who! :)

I remember going from "I Want to Hold Your Hand", while swinging on the swings at recess...Fast forward to College days, and George's trip to the Dali Lama, and everything changed!!
"Let It Be" is and all time favorite!
I, too, loved the Who!
I got to see the "Tommy" operetta, back in 1972, and another concert of just the Who, in college. Back when Keith Moon was still with them.
"Those were the days, my friend. I thought they'd never end...".
Thanks for the stroll down Memory Lane, Craig!
Barb

I was a little young for those concerts, unfortunately! I had to settle for movies like The Kids Are Alright and that first Let It Be documentary, if I wanted to "see" them.
I am very much looking forward to the Get Back film, although I have probably watched most of it by now via YouTube clips, haha.

Craig

What an amazing story of a contented soul. This individual has the grass on the beach as a bed and the blue sky for a blanket yet he is happy and contented.
We have all the gadgetry of modern science and are still struggling to keep up with the Joneses. That's the huge difference between us and the happy-go-lucky, homeless guy of Nice!

Thanks Dada, yes I can still visualise even now.
I hope he's still there when they let us back into France.
Bux

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