Why I Want More Money Than the Average Person
Anyone that says they don’t is just virtue signaling
Earlier today, I read an article by one of my favorite writers Daniel Mesa. Daniel’s articles always make me think more deeply. In this case, it has prompted me to write this article in response.
You’ll get more out of this post if you read Daniel’s first.
I’ll assume you’ve read it.
In the post, he asked readers what money meant to them. He offered 10 statements and prompted you to choose one. I chose statement #8.
8. You can’t really be happy unless you’ve got a good amount of money. It’s the only thing that lets you enjoy life to its fullest.
Then I read the comments. No one picked any number higher than 6. To me, 1–6 suggested that people are happy being average or lower.
Statement #7 was the first that suggested wanting more money than others.
7. I think we deserve to live a joyful and relaxed life. And to do that, you need to have a little bit more money than the rest. So it’s essential for me.
No one chose 7 or higher.
I need to clarify though that I agree with many of the statements. But the statements are quite vague.
As an example, number 3 says:
3. It’s just another thing in life, and you should take care of it like any other thing to live a balanced life.
Well, I do take care of my money. But this could mean taking care of $100 or taking care of $100 million.
Given that most chose lower-numbered statements, I can only assume that they’re happy with less money than I am. I can’t help but think that some are just virtue signaling. After all, we currently live in an age where people with wealth are demonized, so why stick your head above the parapet?
Why do people claim to want so little when in real life they’re always striving for more?
In real life, I see people act differently from how they say they feel. The vast majority of people want more money. Even those with average or above average wealth and income are striving for more.
If that’s the case, why not say so?
Which job would you accept?
If you got offered two jobs, which would you accept? The $60K a year job or the $70K a year job. With everything else being equal, I can’t imagine anyone settling for the $60K job. Why? Because they want more money, even if we already have more than most people.
People on average income and above are always complaining about money
In the real world, I hear people say things like money’s not important, money can’t buy happiness, etc. But then they go on to complain about those that have more than they do. Why? If money isn’t important and doesn’t buy happiness, why are so many upset by those that have money?
I’ll tell you why. Because, despite what they say, they want more. They think they’ll be happier with more money. What they say and what they actually think are two different things.
Why do people buy lottery tickets with huge jackpots if they’re happy to be average?
It’s reported that in the UK, around half the population regularly buys lottery tickets. Apparently, money isn’t important and money doesn’t buy you happiness, but everyone wants to win the jackpot.
And that’s not all. The bigger the jackpot, the more people buy tickets and the average person buys a higher number of tickets. People are more interested in winning $50 million than they are in winning $5 million. Go figure.
Why do people on average pay work overtime if they’re happy to be average?
Even people on higher than average pay are usually happy to work overtime if offered it. Why? They want more money.
Why don’t people who have above-average wealth give some of it away if they’re so happy to be average?
With so many people claiming to be happy to have average wealth, why don’t those with above-average wealth give some of it away? There’s an easy answer to that. What they say and what they think are not the same.
Whatever anyone says, they want more money.
Those with average or slightly above average wealth are the ones that complain about money
I’ve noticed this throughout my life. Those with average wealth complain about money a hell of a lot more than those that are either poorer or more wealthy than they are.
You’ll never build wealth if you aim for mediocrity
I’m certain you don’t want to be average — you’re just virtue signaling. So why are you announcing to the world that you’re happy with average? You’re not happy to be average. And no one can blame you for that.
Why do I want above-average wealth?
So, let’s back to Daniel’s article. Why did I choose statement #8?
I spent most of my life living in London. It’s impossible to live there if you have average wealth or less. Why would I not want to live in a place that I love? The same is true of other places I’ve lived. Go to any major city around the world and you’ll need above-average wealth if you want to live there comfortably.
When I say I want more money than average, I’m not saying I just want a stash of cash in the bank just for the sake of bragging about it. To me, money is a nice property, nice meals out, great experiences, helping others, and more.
Those are the things that I want in life. To get them, I need money. I need more than the average person. I bet the people that get the most upset about me saying that are the ones that already have average or above average wealth. It’s always the way it is.
Just to be clear, I’m not saying I want more money just for the sake of having more. I want more because I strive to live a better than average life. That takes money. I don’t want more because I strive for a better life not because I want to beat the next guy. I’m happy for those that have more than me. You won’t hear me complaining about how much money billionaires have.
People that are of below-average wealth are more likely to ask for advice about how to improve their situation. The average people tend to get upset. It’s almost like they feel guilty about having money.
There are other reasons I want to have and always will have above-average wealth. I look around me and I see millions living lives of mediocrity. That’s just not me. I would be deeply unhappy if I aimed for mediocrity. I just cannot live that kind of life.
The world has so much abundance, why settle for less?
I refuse to believe that this is the life that the majority want. If they did, why would they be applying for better-paid jobs, buying lottery tickets, and complaining about money? Why do they complain about the wealthy if they’re happy to be average? They are obviously not happy with average, no matter what they claim.
Many seem totally confused, and say and do contradictory things. It’s like they want more money but are frightened to admit it to anyone, especially publicly.
If you want something in life, make a goal to get it and announce it loudly. Don’t pretend you want to average. Don’t virtue signal to others.
I want to be wealthy and am happy to announce it to the world. If that makes some people unhappy, so be it. You live your life. I’ll live my life. But if your life is so great, why do you get so upset when others want to live a different life?
More from me:
Average Net Worth By Age — How Do You Compare?
Average Net Worth by Country — How Do You Compare?
