A lot of people find themselves stuck in life. Unfortunately, this process of getting stuck happens slowly. You work reasonably hard, and you think you’re making good progress. You make mistakes along the way, but you recover. You learn. You create, and you make progress. But you never quite get where you really want and need to go. I know this, because it feels like I’ve been stuck in the global middle class for a while. I know I’m breaking out, but this is a tough place to be. Having worked for a year to start a business, and only just beginning to get some traction and money. But I know I’ve done a good chunk of the work. A solid portion of my life is going to be on cruise-control from here on out. I basically just need to write a few more articles, and stay consistent. I’ll be ok. That being said, it’s been a hard road to get where I am. I had some reflections on why I think most people never escape the poverty that comes with being a member of the global middle class.
The global middle class doesn’t involve extreme poverty, but you are broke
And that’s the harsh reality of the situation. No matter what is happening, being in the global middle class is rough. The world is developing fast, but things simply aren’t cheap enough for the common man to create wealth easily. If you’re stuck, you’re stuck. Life is inconvenient, and the only glimmer of hope is with the hard labor that comes with content creation.
Lack of family support
This is the unfortunate part of life. A lot of people simply aren’t born lucky. If you’re born to a family with a good amount of support, you’re bound to come out ahead of the pack. Things are just easier. You have to work less and you get to work in a more comfortable environment.
They don’t start a business
If you don’t start a business, you’re in trouble. Starting a business puts you in control of your income. Failing to start one not only means that you aren’t able to create the life you want, but you don’t know how to spin up some cash from nothing if you’re down and out. Being someone without a business in the 21st century is a very tough predicament to be in nowadays. You just aren’t gonna make it.
They give up too early on business
This is another big problem with a lot of people who get stuck in the global middle class. If you give up too soon, you’ll never see the fruits of your labor. Medium is a good example for this nowadays. My hunch is that if you write about 800 articles, you’ll make a solid amount of income from the Partner program. Enough to put you in the global middle class for years at a time, in a way that would be well worth our while. There’s no chance of most people, even those in poor countries, doing all of this work. Why? Because there’s an opportunity cost to everything, and people aren’t always keen to do things when they can’t see the immediate reward. Lots of people give up too early on business. Even $500 per month online can make a huge difference if you’re in a poor country.
Not dating/partnering up/getting into a relationship
This is an insidious mistake, because it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and grind of everyday life. But if you’re not dating someone, life is going to get significantly harder. Living on your own probably won’t be a real option. Make sure that you learn how to date as you work. Don’t just spend all of your time getting money. Between 27–29 you should probably be looking for someone to settle down with.
They don’t buy a house
The reality of the situation is that if you don’t buy a house in today’s age and you’re from a poor country, you’re probably going to have a decent bit of trouble keeping up with inflation globally. Move to a major city in your country and get yourself into a financial position where you can buy a house. This is pretty much imperative if you’re looking to make your escape. Most wealth is stored in real estate.
Lack of financial knowledge
If you don’t have the right amount of financial knowledge, you’re unlikely to make it far in today’s world. You’re going to blow too much money, make the wrong investments, and get into a ton of unnecessary debt. Make sure you actually learn the art and science of finance. It’s worth your time.
“Bad luck” that could have been avoided
A big mistake that’s easy to make if you’re young and not thinking clearly is failing to factor in the risk of starting a business into your calculations when deciding how to spend their time. This means that they end up not doing enough work and not creating the business fast enough to compensate for the fact that they’re taking on the risk of starting a business. Money hates this. Money loves speed. The reason why is because speed reduces the amount of risk being taken by the person making the money. Work hard and work fast if you want a shot at getting out of the global middle class. It’s pretty much the only hope that you have.
Failing to get educated
Getting the right education and the right job gives you a lot of security. Sure, starting a side business is a great way to break out of the global middle class. But it goes more easily if you get educated. The less educated you are, the more labor you have to do in order to get started.
Spending too much when young
It’s important not to be delusional about how much money you have. If you spend too much, you’re going to find yourself in a lot of trouble later on. Life isn’t a game. Hold onto your money.
Not having multiple sources of income
You need to set up multiple sources of income. Try to have three by the time you’re 30. This might seem really tough at first, but just work hard, and other ways to make money will become clear and apparent. Just make sure you actually get the skills, learn and set up the income sources. Without them, you’re toast in today’s day and age.
Not waking up soon enough
You don’t have as much time in your life as you think. It’s easy to waste it all away playing video games, watching porn, and pretending that you’re on the path to success. But the truth is that the world is an incredibly rough place, and life is very precarious even if you’re on a good path. It’s a dog eat dog world out there, and you have to fight for everything you have. Don’t fall asleep and let life pass you by. Life is a constant struggle and you have to fight for pretty much everything you have.
Getting out of the global middle class is a grind, but it pretty much needs to be done if you want to have a shot at creating something good for yourself in this world. We’re entering an era of unprecedented prosperity, but also a winner take all world when it comes to prodcutivit and the spoils of capitalism. If you’re a young person, you don’t want to miss out. It’s better to be cut down from the top than it is to be struggling at the bottom.
Thanks for paying attention.
