Wealth envy in your daily life
So, I was with the wife buying some groceries at the store today. The lady at the check stand had missed a couple of items and had to run them. My wife joked about it being her "free gift" like she does. The checker was obviously continuing the joke and said that they get upset about things being free. She then went on to say that it was probably because the so-and-so family (I can't remember the name, but the implication was that it was the family that had started the super market) has a company jet that they need to fuel. All well and fine, nice and funny, ha ha. After I left and was thinking about it... I was a little annoyed. Here's why.
This lady was obviously complaining that the family had "too much" money and then was implying that they were cheap and wouldn't lower their profit margin because they wanted to keep their company jet fueled. Let's assume that's true. Who the hell is she to judge? She doesn't know their personal story. Speaking as a small business person, I can testify to the sacrifices that my family has made for me to go into business for myself, as I'm sure they did as well. I know first hand how hard it is to get credit when you're self employed. I know how hard it can be to juggle your cash flow so that you get payroll out on time, even if it means you have to pay yourself late. I know how it feels to risk everything you have, and everything your family has, on your dream.
Since this family's store is now successful, why shouldn't they be able to make a profit. Why should anyone, especially the people who now have jobs because of their sacrifices and investments, judge the profit they make as "too much". I see this everywhere nowadays and it really pisses me off. I hear Michael Moore complaining that the workplace needs to be more "democratic". This is an "at will" state. You are not an indentured servant. If you don't like the job, you are free to find another. If you want to start your own business, you are free to do so. If you think that a particular business doesn't offer a good product or service, you are free to try and convince others of that. Where's the problem? That sounds rather democratic to me. Why does anyone care what they make? Why is it anyone's business?
I learned very early that probably the single largest factor in earning a larger wage is your personal negotiating skills. I'm not good at that which means I likely haven't negotiated what I was worth from my employers. You know what though, over time, and by keeping my options to change jobs open, my wages have naturally increased based on the merit of my work. I'm not angry about the probably 70% of people who are able to negotiate better salaries than me for the same job for the same reason I'm not angry with people who make a ton of money at the top of a company. It's none of my business. I pay attention to me, my life, what I need to get by on my plans and take care of my family. Nothing else really matters. In my opinion, if people spent more time being concerned with taking care of themselves, and less time being concerned with the wealth of others, they would not only be happier, but they will typically be on the path to better salaries for themselves.
Anyway, that's the end of my rants for the night. Good night, and good luck.
This lady was obviously complaining that the family had "too much" money and then was implying that they were cheap and wouldn't lower their profit margin because they wanted to keep their company jet fueled. Let's assume that's true. Who the hell is she to judge? She doesn't know their personal story. Speaking as a small business person, I can testify to the sacrifices that my family has made for me to go into business for myself, as I'm sure they did as well. I know first hand how hard it is to get credit when you're self employed. I know how hard it can be to juggle your cash flow so that you get payroll out on time, even if it means you have to pay yourself late. I know how it feels to risk everything you have, and everything your family has, on your dream.
Since this family's store is now successful, why shouldn't they be able to make a profit. Why should anyone, especially the people who now have jobs because of their sacrifices and investments, judge the profit they make as "too much". I see this everywhere nowadays and it really pisses me off. I hear Michael Moore complaining that the workplace needs to be more "democratic". This is an "at will" state. You are not an indentured servant. If you don't like the job, you are free to find another. If you want to start your own business, you are free to do so. If you think that a particular business doesn't offer a good product or service, you are free to try and convince others of that. Where's the problem? That sounds rather democratic to me. Why does anyone care what they make? Why is it anyone's business?
I learned very early that probably the single largest factor in earning a larger wage is your personal negotiating skills. I'm not good at that which means I likely haven't negotiated what I was worth from my employers. You know what though, over time, and by keeping my options to change jobs open, my wages have naturally increased based on the merit of my work. I'm not angry about the probably 70% of people who are able to negotiate better salaries than me for the same job for the same reason I'm not angry with people who make a ton of money at the top of a company. It's none of my business. I pay attention to me, my life, what I need to get by on my plans and take care of my family. Nothing else really matters. In my opinion, if people spent more time being concerned with taking care of themselves, and less time being concerned with the wealth of others, they would not only be happier, but they will typically be on the path to better salaries for themselves.
Anyway, that's the end of my rants for the night. Good night, and good luck.