You Are Poorer Than You Think!

I’ve seen the same money message repeated a million different ways by as many financial writers trying to tell us we’re richer than we think! Simply by being born into a first world country and having access to clean water, electricity and the many other conveniences that come with the good life.

And in many ways I agree with the pundits, we are very lucky. In many regions of the world clean water and electricity are luxuries. But does this mean I should be content with just scraping by from pay check to pay check? Should I feel guilty for being born in a relatively wealthy western country?

These “you’re richer than you think” reports are telling us to shut up and be thankful for what we have. I say yes, be thankful, but no, don’t be complacent. Don’t simply accept the crumbs that fall from the table of the rich and powerful. Don’t be content with 5 or 6 days per week for 50 years!

It’s an insidious weapon used by the system to guilt us into remaining powerless, just another spoke in the wheel. Seek more than these scraps that we’re told are great riches and we’ll obviously be seen as greedy and ungrateful. The system has a million subtle ways to manipulate us into thinking that freedom is bad for us.

I say fight for freedom, for enough wealth to be able to retire from the wage slave path that is neatly set out for us.

If you don’t have enough passive income coming in from your investments to survive then you are poor. Dirt poor. Slave poor. You’re probably a cockroach or worse.

Sure you can put food on the table and your household might even have two or three cars but if you’re forced to work 40 or 50 hours every week for most of your life then that’s just sad. That is most definitely not rich my friend, that is at best coercion, at worst, forced slavery.

Real wealth is choices. Being able to choose when, where and how we spend our days. We may choose to work 60 hours per week in a business that we’re totally passionate about or we may sit on the beach all day and contemplate life. It’s the choices that make us rich.

I’m only impressed by sportscars when I know the driver has more passive income coming in from his or her investments each year than they can spend. Usually my first thoughts are, what’s the interest on his car loan and how many hours is he forced to work each week just to look rich?

It’s easy to look rich but much harder to be wealthy.

Become Richer Than You Think

Until your investments at least cover your bills and basic living expenses then you’re not even close to being rich. If you’re living in a western country then good for you, now do something with that gift and become truly wealthy, enough to where you’re a free human being.

If you’re from a poor or emerging country then you might have a few more hurdles to overcome but quit with the excuses. There are millionaires in your country so you can become one too.

It doesn’t matter where we’re from, rich or poor, the system in place is designed to keep the majority of people on the treadmill. Freedom is not served to us on a silver platter, unless of course we’re born into wealth. Freedom has to be fought for with knowledge, sacrifice, risk, hard work and time. We don’t have to waste our best years in jobs that we don’t like. There are holes in the fence but they won’t simply present themselves to us. We have to go out there and find them.