I Am Rich

Seriously, I am. According to CNN, it takes an average take-home pay of just $34,000 a year in order to put you in the top 1% of income earners around the world. So, yeah, I'm pretty freakin' rich. Chances are, you're pretty freakin' rich too. 

But when I say, "I am rich", it means a lot more to me than money. In fact, realizing how crazily wealthy we are brings up a lot of serious questions: "Why do I feel so poor/broke?", "Why is there never enough?", "Why am I in so much debt?", "Why do I worry so much about money?". 

Like a good American, I've grown to love STUFF. Fast cars, big screen TVs, and world travel have all been things I've put on my "to-do list" as soon as I had the funds available to do so. In my eyes, with that nice STUFF, I'd be able to reach the pinnacle of my happiness. And that's what it's all about, isn't it? People just want to be happy. 

It's true. Buying stuff makes you feel really good. But think about it: how long do the good feelings last? And does buying a piece of candy still make you as deliriously happy as it did as a kid? If you've had the joy of buying a 40" TV, will buying a brand new 32" TV make you feel good? 

I've earned anywhere from $5/hr to $35/hr since I was a teenager. I've generally been on a steady incline of making more money every year. And yet, I can't say that any of that has had any marker on my personal happiness. Has your overall happiness markedly improved with every raise you've ever gotten? 

This blog isn't actually about happiness. In fact, I can't tell you what is going to make you happy. But what I can tell you is that it's scientifically proven that making/spending more money does not increase your happiness (over the long term). I'm on a journey to test this data in my own life. In the past 1-2 years, I've fallen prey to the idea that more, bigger, and better was what I wanted for my life, and I am attempting to drag myself out of that pit.

What this blog IS about is personal finance. I've decided to embark on a journey towards financial freedom. Financial freedom means having the ability to do exactly what you want with your life. For some, that's early retirement. For others, it's being able to start their own business, or work at a job they truly enjoy, or having the freedom to give their boss the proverbial middle finger if they've had enough. There are a lot of blogs out there that are about this same thing, and they are probably a lot better than this one will ever be. Check out Mr. Money Mustache, Brave New Life, nomoreharvarddebt, and Early Retirement Extreme to name a few blogs from people who have successfully reached financial freedom or are easily on their way to it. What I hope sets this blog apart is that it's coming from a middle income family man with two kids, and that it starts the journey at the beginning instead of talking about the success at the end.

Like most Americans, I've bought the lie that what I really want is STUFF. But I plan on giving that LIE a big kick in the face. I instead choose to use my own brain to put my effort towards things that truly make people happy. If I look crazy, it's because "normal" is actually STUPID.

I have three goals for this blog. The first, and most important, is that it will encourage me to persevere in fighting the LIE. Second, I hope to better be able to explain to my wonderful wife, LeAnn things that I have trouble clearly communicating  to her. (Love you! = )) Third, I really hope that this blog makes you THINK, and that it gets you questioning how you can buy your own personal freedom instead of allowing yourself to be influenced by how we're told to spend our money.