Haha, I've been poor for most of my life. You can still maintain your health and mitigate catastrophic circumstances while being poor, as long as you're willing to prioritize what resources you have. Do that and risk everything else, I think that's the trick.
Of course it's foolish to be all risk and no work, but having seen the successes of others, I gather that not being risk averse is key.
And, yeah, things like jealousy and fear only serve to cloud your judgement. They'll make you think that you have permission to make excuses and act irrationally.
Don't get me wrong, I screw up far more than my fair share, lol. But I figure that as long as I get the basic philosophy right and work as hard as I can to live up to it then I'll eventually get there with the rest of you guys :D