How do you find ways to keep going and persevere?

I have "manufactured my own money" since I was 25, when I decided to be self employed. Three children and a wife, and she was a stay at home mom. The only butt I could kick was my own, and many times I kicked way too hard. Looking into the eyes of my children, petting their little backs while they slept at 2 or 3 am literally saved my life a few times. As trite as it may seem, I haven't started a New Year in 20+ years without watching "It's a Wonderful Life".

As the children grew older, poverty that had always existed, became magnified. Poverty angers the hell out of me. While I know I cannot provide an overall solution to it, I can, and do find strength to help little segments of the community, directly, to faces I can see, people I can touch, and lives that I can influence in a small way.

I'ts rather ironic, there have been many times that I cursed the thought of having so many dependant upon me that I couldn't die, but they are also the reason for any success I have had, and for my perseverance.