For whatever it's worth, try setting goals; I know it's trite and cliche, but you'd be amazed what you can accomplish by throwing an initial dollar figure in the air. Let's say you need to furnish an apartment, you'd break it down to "I could sure use a chair..." then "that chair is $150 that I don't have"... "I asked for donations towards a $150 chair for my apartment"... "I got $90, not quite $150, but it's a start". Same thing goes for family misfortune: "I don't know how I'll pay off this hospital bill from the pneumonia treatments" becomes "I need $2500 for the co-pay, so I can ask around and see if anyone can contribute to the massive debt created by a hospital stay"... "I didn't expect this much sympathy; $1800 isn't the full amount, but we can only go up from here".
Bottom line, keep a positive attitude and set realistic expectations, and there's nothing you can't accomplish. Chin up and all that, but I've seen enough of your unique one-ness to believe that you
will persevere. You're a tough guy, and failure ain't an option.
Side Note: I'm strapped for cash myself, at the moment, but my paycheck will be in later today. Expect some windfall from that, but I usually like to know if what I'm contributing is too much or not enough.
