I grew up poor (like not being able to afford food poor) and ended up relatively wealthy in my mid 20s. I'm actually going to focus on the unfair advantages I got growing up having nothing.
EDIT: Wanted to add this: There is no such thing as a self-made millionaire, or a self-made anything. The one regret I have in life is not taking the time to thank everyone who have helped me, encouraged me, or gave me a chance along the way. With that said, thank you all for your supportive comments!
Unfair advantages of growing up poor:
- I'm a relentless risk taker: what's the worst thing that can happen? I go back to not being able to afford food? I was happy then, so I can be happy anywhere.
- Very few things make me sad, angry, or upset. There are tons of things that are outside of my control - emotional reactions to external events are a choice. External events aren't good or bad, they just happen. You can only control your internal response.
- Letting go is easy. Growing up poor usually means you will experience many borderline abusive situations / people. Just let it go and move on. Actually, you will unbelievable gratitude if you forgive people who know they have been abusive towards you.
- Relentless focus on self improvement. The only way to get out of poverty is to focus on improving yourself. So this has always been the focal point for me - more important than money, security, everything.
- You realize that the world treats you the way you treat yourself. I made my money so quickly that I didn't have time to change my wardrobe. So I once went to a party of ultra high net worths wearing two pieces of cloth tied together with ribbon. But I walked with such confidence that people were asking me "what designer is that?!?". If you respect and love yourself, others will treat you the same.
Strange habits developed from growing up with nothing
- Eating. I didn't eat much meat growing up, so even now I don't really know how to appreciate meat. I still eat boiled vegetables and bread/rice for >50% of my meals.
- I find it hard to relax sometimes. I'm still working on that.
- I'm not particularly concerned with how other people perceive me. This isn't necessarily a good thing, but it helped a lot when I was a kid.