Perspective - there's always someone who has it harder

[Bekit]

Somehow I ran across this video today.

Towards the end of the video, the story took a turn that made me go very still on the inside.

It turns out this guy living in an Indian slum is an entrepreneur. He sells watches. I sat up and took notice.

But the details!

• He might sell 3-4 watches on a good day.
• One watch might sell for 300-400 rupees ($4.31 - $5.75).
• He has many zero-sale days.
• He is in debt to someone else for all the watches. They fronted him the money to buy his inventory. He keeps only the profit above what he owes this other guy back for each watch.
• He makes 50-100 rupees profit per watch ($0.72 - $1.44).

And yet, he is supporting his wife, his two children, and his sister.

How? Just - how?

I often forget how good I have it. It's easy to complain silently to myself when I look at people who have the capital to start investing in something big, like real estate. It's easy to classify myself as "one of those millennials who came of age right when the market crashed, so I don't get to have the life that my parents' generation had, Boo hoo."

And then I see something like this and realize how much harder it could be.

There's always going to be somebody ahead of me.
And there's always going to be somebody behind me.
And it's good to look back and be grateful for where I am and how far I've come.

Not that I won't keep reaching higher.

But these reminders help me to press on my way with gratitude and a lighter heart.

 

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[Atu]

Do not think in numbers, especially in government-controlled currencies. Think in purchasing power of your working hour. How much you can obtain for 1h or 1 day of your activities is a direct reflection of the value you are giving (or not) to others.

Other way of comparison would be an equivalent in ounces of gold. Your way of thinking will change once you start to recalculate everything to pure gold.

And best wishes

 

[Patrick Jones]

Reliable numbers are hard to come by, but if you make more than $40k a year, you're probably in the top 1% of global earners.