#035 - The Wealthy Immigrant
A mother's letter to her children on winning the unwinnable lottery.
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Welcome to the 35th edition of The Wealth Letters, a crowdsourced anthology from people of all walks of life on how to discover enoughness in a noisy world.
The manifesto is a great place to start to better understand the who, what, & why of The Wealth Letters before reading the collection.
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The following is a letter written from Polina Pompliano to her two children, Sofia & Leo, on “winning the lottery,” and more specifically, how to define (and find) true wealth in their own lives.
The letter was written on May 3rd, 2024 for The Wealth Letters Anthology. Thank you so much Polina for contributing your letter!
About Polina
Polina is a mother, wife to
, author of the book Hidden Genius, and author of . Polina was previously a reporter for FORTUNE Magazine.She is passionate about her family as well as learning from the stories of others, in what she likes to call “people-focused learning,” the notion that people and their stories are at the center of any learning pursuit. Stories trigger emotion, and emotion triggers memory.
The Wealthy Immigrant
By:
May 3rd, 2024
Dear Sofia and Leo,
They say the greatest lottery in life is where you were born. For my family, that lottery was much more literal.
In 1999, my parents and I were living in Bulgaria. My dad had picked me up from school, and as we approached our building, a neighbor called out to him that some of our mail was delivered to their apartment instead. She handed him a thick envelope, and his eyes widened until he opened it and yelled, “Yes!” approximately one hundred times.
We had won a green card to come to the United States. The U.S. green card lottery has been called “the unwinnable lottery” because only one quarter of 1% of applicants actually end up with the golden ticket. Without that absurd stroke of luck, my life would’ve turned out quite differently.
I recently reflected just how much my parents — your grandparents — left behind to start over here. They both worked multiple jobs with crazy hours and horrendous commutes.
In Bulgaria, my dad had been a 33-year-old with a master’s degree in chemical engineering and more than a decade of work experience. But in the first few months in the U.S, he was working part-time at a hotel and a fast-food restaurant.
I recently asked him, “Were you upset that it felt like you were starting over?”
And his answer surprised me. He said, “Not at all.”
He told me that he pictured two mountains — one small and one big. The small one represented his potential in Bulgaria. He had obtained a degree from one of the most prestigious and rigorous universities, and he was working on something tangentially related to what he studied in school. But he was close to the peak of that small mountain, and then that was it. There was nowhere else to go from there. His potential was capped.
But when we moved to the U.S, he says, he pictured himself jumping from the small mountain to an equivalent place on the bigger mountain. Unlike the small mountain, that place meant that he was near the bottom rather than near the top. There was a lot more climbing left to do. Rather than seeing it as a burden, he saw it as an opportunity.
Though I had my own struggles with moving to the U.S, it’s my parents who deserve the credit for climbing this steep mountain with a heavy backpack filled with worries and responsibilities. They re-built their lives in a foreign country without support because it really was an endeavor with no safety net. But the good news is: We made it … not to the top, but definitely far from the bottom.
The apartment complex where we first lived has been bulldozed and re-built. So has the shopping center. So has the bus stop. So has our life.
In the acknowledgements section of my book Hidden Genius, I write: “To my parents, who sacrificed everything to move to a foreign country in pursuit of a better life. Those early years in the United States were unspeakably difficult, but I’ll never forget the moments of joy and laughter along the way.”
Because that’s the thing I’ve realized in the last 24 years in the United States: It’s true that the early days were difficult. Unspeakably difficult. But during those days of uncertainty and chaos, there was always the certainty of … us. My best memories were formed during that time because of a well-timed joke, a language mix-up, or the first time I encountered a breaded, deep-fried, sausage on a stick you Americans call “a corn dog.”
Remember, three things: 1) You won the lottery of being born in the greatest country on earth; 2) No one can take away the wealth of knowledge you acquire throughout your life; and 3) You can choose what mountain you climb.
And so, even though my parents and I had no money to our name, we were wealthy beyond belief. Because, kids, “wealth” is all about how you define it. To me, wealth is not your job title. It’s not your social status. It’s not how much cash you have in your bank account.
Wealth is the knowledge that you can bet on yourself time and time again to figure it out. You’ll fall, you’ll get up again, and you’ll keep climbing. That’s OK. That will happen no matter which mountain you choose to climb. Just make sure that you set your sights on one whose peak feels worth it, no matter how challenging the path.
Further Resources:
Polina’s Book: Hidden Genius
Polina’s Weekly Newsletter:
An outstanding podcast episode with
delving deeper into Polina’s life & book!
Thank You for Your Support
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I look forward to hearing from you!
Jordan
A simple yet powerful message that should be shouted from the rooftops for all native born Americans to hear. There is so much taken for granted, overlooked and more so in current times, misunderstood, about the United States.
The American Dream has never been about "doing better than your parents." Instead, it has been about having the freedom to pursue individual dreams, whatever those dreams may be. The American Dream remains alive and well for those who realize that with freedom comes responsibility, i.e. no one will hand you your future on a platter - it is up to each invidual to carve out the life they desire.
I love the analogy of the 2 mountains - one small and one large. I definitely have felt like this in my life. When you reach the top of the small mountain, you are comfortable, you have won that game.
The bigger mountain is more treacherous and uncomfortable. You have a long way to go. It's a new game.
But you've already learned the skill of climbing. Like Polina's father, he knew how to work hard and take measured risks. He chose the bigger mountain for the good of his family.
A great read!