The Luxury of Too Much

In times of financial distress like these, sometimes we need some perspective to help us regain our positive outlook. Try this: The Global Rich List. Put in your annual income, select your currency, and see how you stack up against everyone else in the world. Let's try a few sample incomes, shall we?

$25,000 per year means that you are in the top 10.8% richest people in the world.
$50,000 per year means that you are in the top 0.98%.
$75,000 per year puts you in the top 0.82%.

NOW how do you feel? :) Those numbers are from the World Bank Development Research Group.

I have been helping people get organized professionally for 9 years, and through it all I have tried to keep perspective that we are LUCKY that we have the "problem" of too much stuff. We are so wealthy that we need advice on how to manage our abundant possessions. Next time you're facing a pile of stuff or even a pile of bills, you can use this perspective to help you appreciate how you got there. (See also previous post– Material World: What is Your Most Valued Possession?)

Follow me on Twitter for my Daily #ClutterTweetTip: www.twitter.com/clutterdiet

Marilyn Bohn March 11th, 2009

Wow, those were interesting statistics, I had no idea. I knew too much stuff meant we had a abundance but I didn’t realize how I stack up against “the rest of the world”.

Dima March 16th, 2009

Indeed, the numbers are interesting, but the comparison is pretty much useless. Of course, living in the economically developed countries people are much better off, compared to many developing economies. But at the same time the purchasing power of 1 dollar in North America or in Western Europe is very different from the purchasing power of 1 dollar in Africa or in South America for example. So, to say that an annual income of US $25K in the US makes somebody super-rich by global standards would be incorrect.
Having said that, i think it is a rather smart marketing strategy on behalf of the organization who came up with this comparison calculator 🙂

Vicki Winterton March 19th, 2009

I am a believer that we either live life with an abundance mentality or a scarcity mentality. This post allowed me to realize that I have been given much and need to now give more of myself.

Heather March 19th, 2009

Nice news to hear during the global economic problems.

Ben November 30th, 2009

I’m going to agree with Dima above, that this is simply the result of a more disturbing underlying event.
Contrast this statistic with the fact that more than 50% of deaths in the world are due to HUNGER.
Yeah, if you can afford to buy fast food, count yourself in the lucky half of the world.

5 Comments

Leave a ReplyCancel reply