From Hopelessness to Hope: Surviving Bad Times

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - October 20, 2009) - Millions of Americans today are laid off, losing their homes and losing hope, and Douglas Wallace knows just how that feels.

Wallace grew up poor in the hills of Tennessee, as did his father and his father before him. He slept with his family in one bed and ate what could be shot in the woods. He was frozen in the grip of what he has begun calling "generational poverty," a term that characterizes the culture of the poverty-stricken family in America.

Today, Wallace is wealthy, having broken the cycle of poverty in his family. He became educated and successful, and sold his law firm a few years ago, retiring to San Diego, California. He chronicled his journey in his autobiography, "Everything Will Be All Right" (www.dougwallace.net).

In order to help others emerge from that hopelessness, Wallace offers the following tips:

--  Maintain a positive attitude at all times.
--  Don't allow others to have power over your dreams and aspirations.
--  Make things right when you commit a wrong.
--  Seek out good role models and then listen, observe and copy.
--  Get rid of the chip on your shoulder. It's not all about you.
--  Avoid the undisciplined pursuit of unrealistic goals.
--  Don't grasp for success with a quick, big solution.
--  Never give up, even when the going gets tough.
--  Always work hard, very hard, in everything that you do.
--  Disassociate with people who hold you back.
--  Follow through with commitments.
--  Dream big.
    

"Pulling hope out of hopelessness is the first step in delivering victory out of defeat," he said. "All the charity in the world, all the help in the world cannot overcome the darkness of feeling like no matter what, you'll never win. The difference between those who fail and those who emerge is the measure of their spirit, and keeping hope in their hearts."

About Douglas Wallace

Douglas Wallace grew up in abject poverty. In 1999 he merged his law firm with Synovus Corporation, a large regional bank listed on the NYSE, and retired. Since then he has been working to perfect his inspirational memoir, "Everything Will Be All Right," so that he can share his story with others and offer hope to those caught in the chains of poverty and other hardships.

Contact Information: Contact: Rachel Friedman Rachel@newsandexperts.com