Always great to hear from you!

I think Gilbert’s point is more general than pegging an annual income to $40K a year. He argues that people need to stop feeling so unique, stop comparing themselves to others, and figure things out for themselves.

For example, if you live in Manhattan and decide you need a condo for your car, there’s no way you can live on $40K per year when prices can be as high as $225,000 for a 10′ x 15′ stall.

That’s fine, and you may find happiness in owning that space, but, first, that thrill will be fleeting, and, second, most people are bad predictors of what will make them happy and for how long.

In addition, Robert Frank, a Cornell University economist and author, argues in his new book “Falling Behind” that rising affluence condemns us to never-winable consumption contests. People want ever-bigger homes, because their friends and colleagues keep raising the bar. But the extra happiness/pleasure of owning these homes (and the other toys that become part of this new social status) is diminished because all our friends are raising the bar on their lifestyles as well.

Absolutely. Tina Turner, and she’d certainly know what she was talking about given the life that she experienced, said: “Sometimes you’ve got to let everything go – purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything . . . whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.”

There are plenty of free spirits roaming about who are perfectly content on that salary. And yet, I’ll bet that if they’re college-educated, they’ve got somewhat well-off parents to fall back on financially.

Income below that (for a young, solo individual) is stressful because it doesn’t meet the cost of living. Forget about for someone trying to raise a family. They’re two different demographics.

Higher than that, and you start to get ensnarled in a complicated life. You’re expected to be more and do more as you like to put it-

It goes with social status. You’re given greater demands at your job – or maybe your job is one of those high profile jobs where you’re flying all over the world, wheeling and dealing and fraternizing. You’re expected to lead others to success. It’s a lot of pressure. You acquire more, and then these material possessions bog you down.

I think she capped it off at 40K at least partially because that’s probably the means income that someone can have at a salaried job WITHOUT being a management level. For a young, single person, that is. For someone who is older, more established, and has a family to support, of course that’s not enough to meet society’s demands. On that much, your kids aren’t wearing the in-clothes, you can’t afford daycare, you’re not at the hot health clubs, you don’t own a sailboat, you’re paying rent or living somewhere where the mortgage is 1k per month or under. Maybe you’re even in credit card debt.

Great post, as usual! You always get me pondering and thinking.

Not that there’s book out called Complicate Your Life. I think most of us want things to be simple; the trick is recognizing what makes you happy.