Why I Don’t Want To Be A Millionaire
More money, more problems.
Many people want to be rich. They want the lavish lifestyle with all the nice things like designer bags and fancy vacations. Many people dream of being a millionaire. I must admit that it is a nice dream. But it is not one that I have on a regular basis. I want something different.
With great power, comes great responsibility. The same goes for money. Having millions of dollars may seem great in theory but in reality, that money needs to be managed in a way that it will last and hopefully make you more money. It’s not that I don’t want to have that kind of money, but managing all of it and managing assets and investments and all sorts of things seems time-consuming.
When I think of what I want my life to be like when I’m older, I imagine myself living in a nice house, with a family, working a steady job. It doesn’t take a million-dollar paycheque to accomplish that. I don’t need money in excess. I just want enough to live comfortably.
While it may seem great posting pictures of the nice things a millionaire’s lifestyle would allow, it would also create rifts between me and my friends. Not everyone is going to have a million dollars to spare, and I don’t want that to be the reason I can’t relate to my friends.
I’m not saying that I have anything against a 100k salary. No, I would love to have a 100k salary. I’m just saying that it isn’t vital for my happiness. I just want to be making enough money to support myself and my family and maybe take a vacation or two a year.
The junior high I attended was in a privileged community. Lots of kids there didn’t know what it was like to not be able to afford something. But at the same time, there were lots of kids who did know that feeling. Personally, I fell into neither of those categories. Even though I had a part-time job throughout, I didn’t spend my money on nice clothes or whatever was on-trend that week. I don’t want my future kids growing up not knowing what it’s like to save up for something on their own. I don’t want them to have everything handed on a silver platter. A millionaire’s lifestyle would make it very difficult to teach kids humility and frugality.
When I think of my future, I imagine myself being happy. That seems like the most important thing to me right now. I want a career in which I am happy to go to work every day, not because of how much I make, but because of the difference I know I am making.
All I want in life is to live a steady middle-class life. I don’t want to be super rich but I also don’t want to struggle to make ends meet. How well off one is is a spectrum and both ends have their problems. That is why I want to find a sweet spot in the middle. Neither rich nor poor but rather happy.
