Do you hit the snooze button multiple times in the morning because you just don't want to work? While at work, do you daydream of being somewhere else? Well too bad! You've won the lottery and you don't even realize it!
In this global pandemic, please treat your job as if you won the lottery. When you have a six-figure job, or a regular job, a million dollar a year job, be appreciative. Millions of people are not so lucky.
Your Lucky Lottery Ticket
Here is why you've won the lottery with a job. Let's say you make $50,000 a year. Divide your income by the current 4% risk free rate of return and you get $1,250,000!
In other words, if you have $1,250,000 sitting in the bank right now earning a 4% rate of return, you're making your current salary of $50,000 a year.
Not bad winning $1,250,000 huh? Now take your income, and divide it by 4% (0.04) and let me know how much you've won!
It doesn't matter what job you have now. Just know that the job you do have is coveted by a tremendous amount of people. This includes my first job mopping McDonald's egg bits at 6am.
My manager told me I was lucky to wear the purple and black (colors of the uniform) because he turned down 8 other candidates over the past month.
I just felt lucky I could stuff my face with as many FREE apple pies when he wasn't looking! Heck yeah! I had won the lottery again.
Whine And Cheese
What is it about the water cooler that attracts the whining crowd? I swear, every time I go to the pantry to get a drink of water, all I hear are folks complaining about someone, or some aspect of the job they hate.
“I can't believe Jerry is taking time off from work right now when we are so busy!”
“How come he gets a raise and I don't?”
“I might as well be working for peanuts with the bonus they gave me!”
“Can't believe we hired that dimwit. What was he thinking?”
There's one colleague who literally complains in French for 45 minutes everyday non-stop! It's like Pavlov's Dog.
As soon as we hear her French, we're conditioned to think she's complaining even though we don't understand a word she's saying. Complaining is like an infectious disease that invades that permeates and breaks teams apart. It's got to stop!
If you are spoiled and clueless, please try working a minimum wage service job as an adult!
Know How Good You Have It
One in ten people are out of work, and there are plenty more who would HAPPILY do your job for less. Despite double-digit unemployment, misery pervades.
Some blame it on having to do more work for the same pay since there are 10% less people to help contribute. Others think their jobs are beneath them. Well if that's the case, just move!
Job hopping is a common phenomenon at the beginning of the year. The interesting thing is that once a hopper, always a hopper. You can see resumes with five jobs in as many years, making you wonder what the heck is wrong with the person.
More times than not, it's because the candidate always believes the other side is better. There comes a breaking point where an employer will stop giving you the benefit of the doubt for jumping around so much, and then you're stuck in oblivion.
Every now and again, I get the case of “Greener Grass Syndrome.” I wonder what it's like to do something else, or be someone else. Oh how wonderful they've got it.
Then I snap back to reality and count my blessing with my existing employer. Everything is relative, and it's important to treat your existing job as if you hit the big one.
If you have a job, just know that you are the winner among a large pool of quality candidates. Once you change your mindset, you'll stop complaining and start flourishing again.
Related: 10 Reasons For Starting An Online Business Today
Be Your Own Boss Instead
I never thought I'd be able to quit my job in 2012 just three years after starting Financial Samurai. But by starting one financial crisis day in 2009, Financial Samurai actually makes more than my entire passive income total that took 15 years to build.
If you enjoy writing, creating, connecting with people online, and enjoying more freedom, see how you can build your own website in under 30 minutes for less than $4/month via my step-by-step guide. Not a day goes by where I'm not thankful for starting my site.
You never know where the journey will take you!
Regards,
Sam @ Financial Samurai – “Slicing Through Money's Mysteries”
Here are more top financial products to help you achieve financial independence sooner, rather than later.
Dear Sam,
Greetings!
Very much fascinating post!..Very true and liked that so much..
Thanks and Regards
Vijendra Padwal
While I don’t think everyone should be whining all of the time, as someone who was recently laid off from a horrible work environment (and sad as it was, it was a total relief), I can say that sometimes people complain for a reason.
I worked in a small department of an otherwise okay organization, and my director was awful (I will not go into examples). Everyone in our department would, yes, complain daily about him, mostly to each other. Few outside of our department knew of the internal turmoil. I can only imagine the author of this post referring to us as I read it. “Oh, it’s not that bad…oh, they could be unemployed…oh, get over it…” Daily, our director would remind us that “you’re lucky you have a job” while generally being a jerk. I think that sort of thinking is the problem. Eventually we all left, and even the people who were laid off were relieved at not having to go into a toxic environment everyday.
Yes, complainers might be lucky to have a paycheck. But that does not excuse poor work environments, and the daily berating by a supervisor. Remember that sometimes complainers are complaining for a reason.
Complainers are always complaining for a reason. But, after a certain amount of time, if you aren’t moving on to do something else, then it’s their fault, and not the organization.
There is no place in an organization for jerks. In fact, we have a “no jerk policy”!
I hope you get unemployment insurance and find yourself a better job in the future!
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you around.
Best, Sam
I owned my own profitable business, sold it in 2007. Was unemployed for 2 loooooong years (never been unemployed in my LIFE). My husband was unemployed for 1 year. We lived off savings and racked up 50,000 in debt when we exhausted savings.
I am now working (at my old employer, best company in the world!) and I pinch myself daily, I am so lucky. I’m making incredible money, love my job, love my boss. We were about 2 months away from missing a mortgage payment. I had suicidal thoughts, which I’ve shared with no one until this post. My heart goes out to the millions of Americans out of work based on predatory and corrupt corporatist policies (outsourcing, stagnant compensation, overpaid CEOs, etc (another rant).
Do I love my job so much because I was so close to the edge?? I’m sure it’s part of it.
I will never take employment for granted again. Never.
I thank my
Valletta, thanks for sharing your story and I’m so glad you made it and everything is turning out alright!!!!
Misery loves company…some people just aren’t happy and can’t stand to see anyone else happy. One complainer can ruin a good team very quickly.
Yikes, I’m glad you no longer have “work sucks” as your # one phrase! I really think running a website is a great outlet.
One day is today! No reason you can’t work on your side business now. Shake things up! $1.25 million big bucks!
Woow! $3.25 per hour at McDonalds? Hey are you dating yourself? =) They say that McDonalds is a great place for a first job. You learn about efficiency, working as a team, discipline (like you say above).
Yeah, I think people complain too much. Period. I think I can be guilty of that too… If we all were happy with what we have already, the world would be a much much better place. =)
Big time money eh? However, I’m not sure what you are asking about whether I am dating myself? Sometimes I take myself out for a milkshake, I admit it!
lucky to wear the purple and black? lol
retail and fast food have high turnover rates usually, so their will always be jobs in those areas. Low paying jobs. Who can live on $8/hour? Only a kid living at home with no bills. Most adults could not live on that.
Yeah, man….. Purple and Black 4 life! lol.
I made $3.25 an hour that summer. Kinda sucked, but still allowed me the independence to buy whatever I wanted as a teenager. Taught me discipline, working together in a team, and how to avoid/impress tyrant managers!
I think people complain so much about their work because 1. A lot of pople don’t like their jobs. and 2. People “need” something to complain about. That’s one thing I noticed about American culture, we are generally unhappy people. Well, I make that statement because my girlfriend is trinidadian and when I go to visit her in Trinidad, the first thing I notice is how generalyl HAPPY everyone is. Normal conversations end up with 10x more laughs and joy than american ones. I got used to that way of life, and when I returned, I was literally slightly depressed because of how….drab our mentality is!
I also posted a topic about this entitiled: “Appreciate your job”. I posted it due to an incident where a coworker was almost first and I started to imagine what would I do if I were fired. Scary stuff, I like to think I am very grateful, but then agani, I love my job!:)
Good point! Whenever I go overseas, and especially to the Tropics, people are WAY more jovial there! Feel free to include the link to your “Appreciate Your Job” post. I have a very open policy on folks posting up links.
What is your job again? No worries if it’s private.
It’s always easier to complain than work hard. It’s the Socialist’s Way!
Timely. I just watched “Up in the Air”. Yeah, I did that post on passing on a 90% pay raise – it was all about family, security, and inability to take risks at this point in my life. I’d probably be either miserable or seeking new employment by now given what happened to the company. It’s good now and then to take a moment for some perspective. Thanks for reminding us both how shitty it is for so many people and to STFU next time the company cuts back on cookies at lunch meetings or the you don’t get to have your own printer anymore. There’s some serious shit goin’ on out there.
Passing up on a 90% pay raise is tough! What if they guaranteed you a 90% pay raise over last year’s income for two years in a row? Would ya do it? Curious to know!
BTW, I do believe Investing is all luck. The Samurai Fund is kicking butt and it’s 10000% luck!
Hah! too funny, you lucky devil. No the 90% was total comp, much of which was higher bonus range mixed w higher salary. Risky though. Smaller company, heading up a new group. Tons of travel, would have to move. and in the end, just not worth it.
Sam,
You’ve really been hitting the nail on the head with your posts recently! I have to admit that I’m one of those that have been complaining from time to time, but you’re right, I should count my blessings. Nonetheless, human nature is to compare yourself with those in similar shows, not those much worse off than you are. We could compare ourselves to the worst of the worst to make ourselves feel better, but is this really productive?
I do think that complaining is often counterproductive, unless done with an aim and an end in mind. If you’re complaining and all you’re doing is dragging down the spirit of your team, then keep it to yourself!
P.S. I think 4% is a bad interest rate to use, since work requires you to put in 45+ hours a week. I still get the point you were trying to make, though. Looking forward to the next post!
Kevin, you make it sound like I haven’t been hitting the nail on the head with the other posts then? j/k.
Complaining is infectious.. a disease. Stop complaining folks and do something about it!
The irony of 4% is that’s a conservative number. Now the number is more like 3.5% for a risk free rate of return or 3%. Take the $50,000 example, and divide it by 3.5% and you get even more money of $1.423 million bucks!
Whatever we are making, it’s worth MORE the lower the risk free rate goes. Yihaw!
Sam! :o That is the kind of trick my gf plays on me whenever I say that she looks pretty :S
p.s. You can give me 1.5 million over working for 50k a year anytime ;)
Haha, nice. Smart girlfriend!
The only trade I will make is giving you $1.5 million, if you give me $80,000 a year for the rest of your life. I’m down with 5%, and you have to castrate yourself if you fail to pay!
Cool?
You gotta give me $1.6 million, then ;)
I think I could come out ahead with such a deal, but I don’t know… castration is an awful price to pay!
What a great perspective! I am a recent university grad looking for a full time job, and have felt pretty crumby about my summer job where I work for minimum wage. After reading your article, I am feeling better about my situation because I feel lucky to have at least found a summer job when so many students this summer did not. Always look on the bright side of life!
Hi Mate, really glad the post helps you feel better and keep things in perspective. It’s still a little brutal out there for summer internships and jobs, so definitely count yourself lucky!
I found myself grumbling about my 4 year old job a LOT in Q1 of this year. I was bored, unsatisfied, felt underpaid, and was annoyed with some of the people I was working with. Then in Q2 I decided to start looking for a new job that would be a refreshing, new challenge for me. Man! Boy did I forget so much in the last 4 years – searching for a job sucks! Not only did I forget how much time it takes, I forgot how competitive it is too. And on top of that, none of the jobs descriptions I stumbled across really wowed me with their duties or compensation. Feeling foolish and humbled, I took a step back and reevaluated my current job. I realized I was choosing to be bored, that my salary really wasn’t as terrible as I thought it was, and it wasn’t that bad overall either. I decided to turn things around and give it another go. If my negative thoughts come back again I’ll reevaluate things then and probably start looking for a new job but for now I feel a lot better.
You know, it’s great that you took the step to do something about your situation and look for a new job!
As soon as we look for something else, we are able to compare and appreciate the good and bad of what we have.
Sit tight, focus on the positives of your current job, and look aggressively next year if you wanna change!
Another good post Sam,
I think you’ll enjoy reading Daniel Goleman’s book, Social Intelligence. He suggests that our internal level of satisfaction is somewhat hard-wired, no matter what happens to us (or no matter how subjectively “great” or “lousy” our job might be)
Whiners will always whine. Even if they win the lottery, they will whine shortly after the buzz subsides. Their levels of content can be bumped a bit, short term, but no matter what happens to them, they’ll gravitate back to their hard-wired level of content–or lack thereof.
Generally happy people are the opposite. Even after experiencing some kind of paralysis, they eventually return to a level of “happiness” that is close to (but not quite) where they were before paralysis (or unemployment, if you want to use that as a far less severe example)
People can change a bit, sure, but according to Goleman, we’re mostly hard-wired.
Pity the woman mumbling in French. It’s too bad our attributes weren’t all dolled out equally at birth.
Hi Andrew, I’ll check out Goleman’s book. Maybe we are 70% wired, but I don’t believe we’re 90-100% wired at all. We can all improve ourselves and our attitudes in some way.
I’m thankfully I have a happy disposition. I think I smile so much my jaw and cheek muscles get tired!
Ooo, a recycled post, but worthwhile!
Here’s another fun “lottery number” calculation: Take your YTD taxable investment proceeds and divide by your hourly salary. In other words, if I was paid to invest, then I’ve “worked” 400 hours so far this year.
Coming at it from another direction, if I’d worked on the investing 16 hours per weekend, then I’m making an hourly wage 40% higher than my working hourly wage.
_Now_ I can complain that I’m not being paid enough at work, LOL.
The reality is for 90% of people, their expenses rise to match their income. So no matter how good they have it, it’s little difference to another job paying 2/3rds the amount (other than the shock of making the adjustment back down). And the corollary is 90% of the eager replacements for a job would soon be just as bitter once their lifestyle adjusts.
Those who can break out of this mentality of course may standard better chances for advancement. (Although many who can break out often strikes out on their own anyways.)
.-= MossySF´s last blog ..Tour group vacations =-.
I was hesitant to post links back to my blog but since you said it’s okay, here goes:
https://oilandgarlic.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/say-no-to-bitterness-tips-to-improve-your-9-to-5-work-life/
Hope I did this right since I’m new to blogging.
You might wonder why a food/simple living blogger writes so much about career/finance. I just think that too many simple living bloggers focus only on saving money and not enough on making money, investing, negotiations, and career. Without some money-savvy, they’re never going to achieve the simple life that they want. IMO, negotiations is the most important skill because there will always be people and companies that will take advantage, or benefit from, a person’s ignorance and/or lack of negotiating skills. Even if you plan to move to the countryside someday (the pinnacle of the simple living dream), it’s important to know how to negotiate!
.-= oilandgarlic´s last blog ..Simple Joys…Coffee Breaks =-.
Sure, link away, it’s no problem here. Will have a read! Yes, saving money is actually the easy way. Making money is the harder route!
A good reminder about being grateful. It’s easy to complain about how we hate our jobs – even when we really do and miss the fact that there are many that are looking for something to do.
That’s a neat and interesting analogy between salary and passive income from lottery winnings.
.-= Forex Manager´s last blog ..Daily Technical Analysis =-.
Perfect, will do! And thanks.
.-= The Rat´s last blog ..BIN Revisited: From Tantrum to Tantalization =-.
@FS – I would like to think that the vast majority of employers do not purposefully instill a negative work environment but sometimes do by having a lack of good systems in place. Did you hear about the company in France that is being investigated because so many of the employees have committed suicide? I’m not saying the employer is directly responsible here (although it could prove to be the case) and this is ‘allegedly speaking’, its just that because people spend so much time at work, its important that the ‘workplace’ is positive ‘enough’.
On a side note, thanks for the props on my site; its greatly appreciated and I’m appreciative of your presence there. I want in on the challenge man…let me in! I left a comment on that huge thread :0)
Just waiting for the green light to post the thread
Cheers
.-= The Rat´s last blog ..BIN Revisited: From Tantrum to Tantalization =-.
Hi Rat – Lack of good systems is a good term. I did read about that company in France with suicides. That’s nuts! Imagine if you were the HR person there or tried to recruit people!
Welcome to the Yakezie Challenge! I see your badge, and your round ups, and everything. We’d be happy to have you on board. Shoot me your e-mail address and I’ll have Greg-san from Eliminate The Muda be in touch. Let me respond to the original thread, as that’s where they are tracking too.
thnx
A good paying job with benefits is not an easy thing to come by, and a lot of people take that for granted. At the same time however, some employers instill negative work environments, and I can see why many people leave positions for lower paying jobs just to keep a piece of their sanity.
Nice thread
.-= The Rat´s last blog ..BIN Revisited: From Tantrum to Tantalization =-.
Do you really think employers purposefully instill a negative work environment though? That can’t be true, can it? Maybe there’s one rally bitter boss who is like a cancer, but I don’t think the corporate culture is purposefully like that. But perhaps.
What a great redesign of your site, Rat. Nice.
Hey Forest, all rambling is welcome here! That is pretty darn neat you live in Egypt, and are pretty much location-independent with your job it seems. Very inspirational and exciting to do. I’d love to read more about your adventure!
Also, are you paid to help a site link build? It all seems so foreign to me. Best, Sam
Very cool! You have two skills which I have NONE of! haha. There is a Yakezie Google Groups if you’d like to join. The discussion is robust. Your work will probably be part of the 2nd challenge in 5 months, when we’re all good and ready. I don’t want people over thinking links and SEO right now. Would love to get your future insight!
.-= admin´s last blog ..Sometimes Saving Money Is About Principle =-.
Sorry I’m a little late weighing in on this topic, which is pretty timely for me. The whining and complaining where I work is at an all-time high, and I would love to forward your post to everyone in my department and tell them it was mandatory reading.
Most of the guys in my department make really good money for the area (sub-6 figures and over) and don’t have bachelors degrees, just formal certifications. When I hear them complaining about money it’s all I can do to keep from screaming.
It creates a really lousy work environment when everyone’s unhappy about something or other all the time.
.-= David @ MBA briefs´s last blog ..How long are you going to live? =-.
Fellow Yakezie Challenger, thnx for your thoughts. Please do send this article to your colleagues so they can shaddup already :) 6 figures and complaining in this environment, with most not having bchelor’s degrees is impressive. No room for complaining there!
Yeah, tell them to shove that hundred grand income a year where the sun don’t shine! lol