Is it normal everyone is struggling?

There is no getting ahead without struggling. So that part is normal.

However, I feel that you have taken on too much responsibility by trying to assist other people without the resources of knowledge of how to effectively do that.

Take care of yourself and your family 1st. You can only really help someone if you are financially stable yourself.

Then you need to learn how to sort out the difference between those that are:

1) In an unusual short term crises and need short term assistance.

2) Looking for assistance and willing to work to improve their situation.

3) Those just looking for a handout as that is easier than improving themselves and their situation (which requires work and change).

It took me about many years (and over $40,000 wasted to learn that lesson). The vast majority of people looking for help are in the 3rd category.

Here is how I handle it: If the person appears to be in a short term crises I will provide food for a day (on rare occasions for a week), perhaps shelter for the night, pay 1 month of a phone bill, buy a 1 month bus pass, etc. Note: I pay these bills and buy the things. I virtually never give them more than $20 cash. I will hook them up with local agencies and charities beyond that. Half the people turn out to be in such a crises and my short term assistance gets them over the hump. The other half were actually in Category 3 as all they do is complain that I didn't help enough and they need me to give them money.

The key to finding out if they are willing to improve themselves once they are stable, or for others that do not present themselves as in an emergency crises is to start a discussion about what their immediate dreams area - and that to get those, and their longer term dreams, they most likely have to improve their knowledge and skills.

I've learned over the decades that there are about a half dozen areas where people have shortcomings in knowledge and skills; and I carry a selection of "self help" books on those topics (books that I have found to be highly effective) and I let them chose a book. If they read that book I provide another book along with advice, and keep doing that over and over. The longest I have done that was 2.5 years and I've given more than 20 books to some people. It has changed their lives significantly for the better.

To paraphrase Zig Zigler (look him up): "If we won't learn; no one can help us. If we are willing to learn; no one can stop us."

Also, I can provide other financial and resource assistance to someone who is reading books to improve themselves (including interview cloths).

Those that don't read the book. I never see them again. Honestly, 85% of the people that select a book never reads it; and I've given out more than 100 books a year for a number of years (except this last year).

Those books are far cheaper than the amount of money I had previously given to people who never improved themselves. I have boxes of books in my house to give away. I buy key books in lots of 5-10.

Thus I give everyone a chance who catches my attention, and am investing my time and resources into people who are actually working on improving themselves. This has worked very well. I've also assisted some of these industrious people to start their own successful business.

However, go back many many years I was overwhelmed with all the people who seemed to need assistance - and I was giving away money to people to the point that I was hurting myself.

Please learn from my past lessons: Take care of yourself and your family 1st. Get yourself financially and emotionally stable 1st.

Understand that the vast majority of people looking for money are not going to use the money you give them to improve their future. You are in most cases would be giving money and time to a black hole that will suck you dry.

Not only that, these people become dependent on you and then they scream all the louder when you eventually cut them off. My goal was to create or at least improve independence, not to make someone dependent on me.

Learn to sift and sort people to find those who you can actually make a difference in their lives. In the end I found books to work for me. Some people do it with prayer and values.

I wish you the best. You have a great heart and you can have a great future, and learn how to really have an impact by helping people in the future when you are better equipped for that.

Volunteer at an animal shelter, people are not worth saving.

Frankly, dude, it sounds like you're either suffering from Saviour Complex or at risk of falling into that thought-pattern. A person with Saviour Complex has a strong tendency to seek out those who desperately need help and to assist them, often sacrificing their own needs for these people. If you feel like you're surrounded by people who need your help, that probably isn't due to random chance or because the entire world is falling to shit, but because something inside you makes you choose those people as your friends.

It's noble to care about the well-being of others and to want to help them, but they are responsible for sorting out their problems. Some people are leeches and users, and people like that can be very good at spotting those who are willing to let themselves be used. Some people are just generally useless at dealing with life because someone else has always taken on the responsibility of caring for them, and the only way they'll ever progress to the full emotional maturity and independence of adulthood is if they're forced to do so.

I suspect you get an ego-boost from feeling needed, but your primary focus should be on improving your own life rather than worrying about how others are coping.

I smell codependency. Please don't give money to any of these people. Try to concentrate more on yourself, because you are working your ass off, and there's no shortage of people asking for handouts.

Who are all of these people to you that you're referring to them as everyone?

Life is supposed to a long-struggling journey e and you have to struggle your way and make it.

There is jobs everywhere right now. Whay you should do is offer them a job and that will show you how they are their own problem. If you find them a high paying job you will hear nothing but excuses why they cant do it.

If they're begging you to help you and trying to play the pity party thats a huge red flag.b i didnt have air conditioning for 5 years, flushed toilet with a bucket, showered in a sink, only one room had heat in the winter, was always hungry no money and I never could have even asked some friend for anything. I doubt they were as bad off as I was and I cant relate to their begging.