I often feel poor. Yes, “poor” can be a feeling. It is the sense that what we have just isn’t enough. It is that sad feeling we get when we realize we can’t afford organic everything or that we have to buy clothes for our kids based solely on price- not like the other moms who seem to have their kids constantly decked out in premium brands. I often feel poor when I’m driving through upscale Vancouver neighborhoods and I realize that I will likely never be able to afford one of those opulent palaces. The “poor” feeling is usually vague, but it’s there.
It is so easy to feel subtle resentment toward those who seem to have it all. I mean, isn’t that part of the reason the “We are the 99” protests have picked up steam over the past few years? Our world is definitely and unfairly divided into the “haves” and the “have-nots”.
But let me tell you a little secret. You are not in the 99%. You are in the 1%.
Yes, you, the mid-level social worker. You the kindergarten teacher. You the counsellor. So the secret to becoming a part of the world’s top 1% is merely recognizing that you’re already there. Isn’t that great? You made it! If you have a household income of more than $50,000 per year, you belong to the wealthiest 1% of the planet’s population. You are the elite. In fact, if your income is just $10,000 per year, you are in the top 10% of the world’s wealth. In other words, if you make just $835 per month, there are 6,570,000,000 people who are poorer than you in the world.
Now I don’t want to get all preachy. And as social worker I definitely don’t want to knock the “We are the 99” movement. I respect what they’re all about. What I know for sure is what I feed my brain matters- when I am enticed by the wealth of the 0.01%- the Bill Gates and Oprah Winfreys of the world- the result is envy, discontent and malaise. When I focus on the fact that I have won the existential lottery- that I have my health, a loving family, and the means to do most of what I want- I feel satisfaction, joy, and gratitude.
When I choose to claim that secret (on a daily basis), the rest tends to fall into place.