Who is the 1 Percent? You’d Be Surprised

We’ve been hearing a lot about the so called 1 Percent on TV, the internet, and in print over the last few years.  We hear about the ridiculous amounts of money they make, their greediness, and their lack of care for the other 99% who deserve better.  Many of us love to talk about how these 1 Percenters take advantage of people and do their best to keep the other 99% from getting ahead.

This behavior is disgusting and it HAS TO STOP!

But wait a minute, this little rant about the 1 Percent is not exactly what it seems at first blush.  Read on and I'll show you just who is the 1 percent, why people complain about them, and whether or not they are the enemy of the 99% of people who are less fortunate financially.

Complaints Against the 1 Percent

Typical complaints that the so called 99 Percent have against the 1 Percent are:

• Income inequality- The rich keep getting richer, while others make too little.
• The middle class can’t get ahead.
• The 1 Percent get wealthy through greed and cheating people out of their money.
• The wealthy don’t care about the middle and lower class, except as a means to separate them from their money and keep them poor so the rich can get richer.
• And many others…

But there is one problem with this line of thinking that many of us just don’t get.  It’s a very inconvenient truth that affects most of us here in America whether we want to recognize it or not.

But here's the shocking truth about the 1 Percent.

You Are The 1 Percent

According to this article at ForeignPolicy.com, if you are part of the American middle class and earn more than about $34,000 a year, you are part of the 1 percent compared to the rest of the world.  Obviously, if you’re in the top 1 percent, the rest of the world considers you to be very wealthy.

Does that shock you?

Most people in the middle and lower class in developed countries don’t consider themselves to be wealthy.  But the 900 million people who live on less than $1.25 a day can’t even conceive of earning $34,000 a year.

They look at you and I the same way we look at billionaires.

These truly poor people are especially shocked when they hear about people in America and other developed economies complaining about their plight.  They see this and just shake their heads at us, wondering why we complain so much when we have so many opportunities available that they don’t.

Is Redistribution The Answer?

All this, yet every day we hear Americans calling for redistribution of wealth.  “The rich should give all their money to the poor” they say.  Then equality would reign and nobody would go hungry or live in substandard housing.

It would be a utopia where everyone does well!

Please.

That’s called communism.

If you want that, then you should probably go somewhere else because America just ain’t your bag, friend.

Here’s the truth: if you were to redistribute all wealth equally, it wouldn’t be long before all the people who had it before would have it again.  The rich would be rich once again, and the poor and middle class would return to their positions.

Redistribution would change nothing.

Should You Be Complaining?

So, if you’re part of the global 1 Percent and you’ve been complaining about your plight, it might be time to reevaluate your position.  Here in America (and in most Western countries) we live in a meritocracy.  Your financial position is largely based on your abilities and what you achieve in life rather than what someone else is doing to keep you down.

It’s not always pretty.

It’s not always totally fair.

But it is by far the best system on the planet for creating wealth for as many people as possible.

All complaining does is keep you blind to the possibilities that lie ahead of you that can make you unbelievably prosperous if you let them.

So if you’re a complainer, stop it!

Remove the scales from your eyes, change your perspective and start taking action to create wealth by making yourself more valuable to others.  When you do that, you will discover that your work life suddenly has a new level of meaning that it never had before.

You will never change your life or anyone else’s by sitting in front of the TV complaining about how much that rich CEO makes every year.

Wealth Creates a Virtuous Cycle

There is a limitless amount of wealth in the world for you to tap into.  You just have to understand that getting that wealth is all about adding to the world instead of taking from it.

The more good and useful things you add to the world, the more wealth you are creating for yourself and others.

The more wealth that you and others create, the more you can expand that wealth creation process that benefits everyone involved.

It’s a virtuous cycle of prosperity that elevates everyone who touches it, not just you.

Want to learn more about how wealth really works? At the end of this post you’ll discover my favorite books on creating wealth that will blow your mind!

The 1 Percent Are Not The Enemy

Rich people are not the enemy.  In fact, most of them are very generous, honest people who work very hard.  They create jobs and provide products and services that make our lives better.  They give of themselves and give of their wealth in many ways that you rarely hear about but benefit society nonetheless.

The 1% are certainly not all perfect, but most of them are not evil either.

Those evil rich people you hear about are the aberration.  Just like there is a minority of dishonest people in the poor and middle class, there are dishonest wealthy people too.

They are human beings too, after all.

But no matter their financial position, dishonest people are eventually found out and suffer the consequences of their actions.  The rich just do it on a bigger scale that makes for a good story on the evening news.

You’re Already in the 1%, But You Can Do Better

So now that it’s been established that you are probably a 1 percenter, what does that mean for you?  It certainly doesn’t mean you’re evil or greedy does it?

Absolutely not!

What it does mean is that you live in a wealthy country that, as a whole, focuses on making your own way and serving people in the process.  When you serve other people well and you can make money doing it, you are elevating yourself financially and providing a valuable product or service to others that elevates them as well.

All parties to the transaction win in some way.

That’s how lasting financial wealth is built.

Here's What You Can Do

So to make the world a better place and build wealth in the process, here’s what you should do:

• Serve as many people as you can (customers, employees, bosses, etc.)
• Do it as ethically as you can.
• Serve as excellently as you can.
• Find ways to grow your influence so you can serve more people.
• Teach others how to serve well, so they can make the world a better place too.
• Give of the wealth you have, be it a little or a lot.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with being in the top 1 percent in the world, or even in the top 1 Percent of a very wealthy country like America.  Being in the 1 percent simply means that you live in a culture that values service to others while making money in the process.

Service and wealth aren’t enemies.

In fact, they are the best of friends.

When you understand that and take action with it, the world is always the better because of it.

Here are some of my favorite books about wealth.  You should check them out, they will absolutely blow your mind!

“Wealth- Is It Worth It?” by S. Truett Cathey, Founder of Chick-Fil-a

“The Legacy Journey-A Radical View of Biblical Wealth and Generosity” by Dave Ramsey

“Thou Shall Prosper- Ten Commandments for Making Money” by Rabbi Daniel Lapin

“More Than Enough- Ten Keys to Changing Your Financial Destiny” by Dave Ramsey

“Business Secrets of The Bible- Spiritual Success Strategies for Financial Abundance”- by Rabbi Daniel Lapin

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