I Know It's Not Easy Out There

A few months ago, a citizen in Canada sent me a copy of her local newspaper from Kamloops, British Columbia. There was a photograph of a homeless man who was surrounded by his belongings, and he was reading a copy of my first book, The Art of the Deal, which came out in 1987. The reporter who saw him spoke to him, and a photograph was taken.

I was very taken with the story and photo and decided to send the man a check for $1,000.00 via the reporter from the Kamloops newspaper.  I was impressed that, despite his situation, he was reading a book that might inspire him to better his situation. Reading The Art of the Deal had worked for Mark Burnett years ago when he was selling tee shirts on the beach, as well as for Robert and Kim Kiyosaki after the 1987 stock market crash, and I was hoping it might help this man in some way. But I also wanted to help him with his immediate situation.

The homeless man had been told that I’d read the initial story, and had joked about it, asking if “the cheque’s in the mail” not knowing or believing I’d be sending one. My check was then delivered to him, and when he was handed the check, he said, “For once in my life, I’m speechless. I’m at a total loss for words. Usually I’m so loquacious, but this? I don’t know what to say.” What I had to say to him was, “Give him my regards and tell him to work hard. I know it’s not easy out there.”

A subsequent article in the Kamloops paper featured an interview with me, asking me why I did this. I said, “The guy seemed to me to be trying so hard.  He really seemed to be trying to figure out life. You know, you work hard and it’s not easy sometimes.” One columnist mentioned that I probably gave tips bigger than that for a shoeshine, and then realized that the “gift of a hand up is better than a handout” - which is precisely right.