Don't Let Your Income Get You Down -- I Don't

Actually, that's not entirely accurate -- I do let my income get me down occasionally; but I don't let it keep me down. It's only natural to feel a little down once in a while when you hear stories about how much some people earn in income.

In our fine country, it always seems like it's about how much money you make. For many people, it's a constant battle to make more than their co-workers, their neighbors, the national average, even their parents or siblings...but it shouldn't be this way.

Unfortunately, so much of our focus is often upon how much we make, not how much we keep of what we make. And as hard as it is, as the great Johnny Mercer once sang, sometimes we just have to "accentuate the positive."

The Downside of the Income World

I used to get down about my income quite often. Living in Chicago , it's hard to ignore the media coverage of union and state employees getting paid six-figure salaries to sleep on the job or to drive around "supervising" all day, when they're actually reading the paper or sitting at the coffee shop. But I have to remind myself to keep things in perspective. There will always be corruption and people getting paid more than they deserve. Unfortunately, that's just part of life; and there is little I can do about it. I need to focus upon me.

It's Easy to Get Caught up in the Numbers

Do I wish I made more money? Sure! I bet you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn't. People who are making $20,000 would probably like to be making $40,000. People who make $40,000 would probably like to be making $80,000, and so on and so forth. I think it's just natural as human beings that we are rarely satisfied with what we have. Many of us fail to realize however, that it's not necessarily what we make income wise that matters, but what we keep.

So What's the Point?

Over the years, I've known numerous people who made six-figure salaries. Surprisingly, many of these same people have little to show for their hefty income, and some are even deeply in debt. And I can't say for sure that many of their lives are any better than mine.

These people might wear nicer watches, drive nicer cars or have bigger homes, but in the scheme of life -- who really cares? With the recent recession, I think I've heard more news stories about people making six-figure salaries who are now down-and-out than those who were making $30,000 a year. This is probably because the people who were making $30,000 appreciate their money and make wiser decisions with it than higher income earners because there is less of that income to fritter away.

The point is this: I've known people who make $30,000 a year and have money in the bank. I've known people that make close to $200,000 a year and are in debt up to their eyeballs. Income often doesn't matter (within reason of course). It's what we do with that income that matters.

So the next time you start to feel down about your income, consider how you are making use of it -- not it's amount -- and then decide whether you really have something to feel bad about.

More From This Contributor:

How I Survived Long-term (Regular) Unemployment

Why I Dislike Donating Cash to Charities

Living Like Each Paycheck is My Last

Disclaimer:

The author is not a licensed financial professional. The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. For financial advice, readers should consult a licensed financial advisor. Any action taken by the reader due to the information provided in this article is at the reader's discretion.