Why is There a Societal Obsession With Getting Rich?

In the UK, there definitely appears to be an obsession with getting rich, as if being wealthy will somehow solve all problems known to man. Unfortunately, it’s easy to become dissatisfied with your lot when you’re force-fed news stories about how various CEOs of failing companies award themselves millions of pounds’ worth of bonuses, whilst lower-paid workers are being laid off. Then there are those managers and executives who are paid exorbitant amounts of money using taxpayers’ money, despite often doing a poor job. When you’re struggling with your finances and working hard for very little reward, you can find yourself wanting a better life and questioning why we live in such a grossly unfair, unequal society.

That’s just the way it is, though. There is very little you can do about it when the people creating the laws are often the product of a privileged background. They often went to school with other leading figures in society – so you have politicians who are well-connected to people in the media, banking industry and in business. Politicians are hardly likely to create laws which could possibly have a detrimental impact on their ‘friends’ – the people who are likely to offer them financial and moral support. Ultimately, the rich are making laws which protect the rich and the rest of society is supposed to aspire to being rich, without being given the means to achieve such an objective.

Whenever you switch on the television or log into your computer, you come across advertisements which are trying to sell you a lifestyle. You’re told that if you own a certain car or dress a certain way, you will portray yourself as successful and wealthy, and that others will judge you more favourably for doing so. This is a materialistic society and wealth creation depends on individuals spending their money on luxury items. It keeps people in jobs and when people are in work, they can afford to spend money on products they don’t necessarily need, but that they think they want. Soon, an item that was once considered a luxury becomes an essential item, such as in the case of mobile phones.

You become convinced that if you had more money you’d be happier, because you’d be able to buy all these products and services, without having to scrimp and save. Yet, in most cases you don’t need half of the stuff you think you would like, anyway. It’s just that you’ve been conditioned into thinking you must have the best of everything. You don’t even have to work hard for it these days, as you can gamble your way to riches by playing the lottery or gambling online, or try your luck on a television talent show. Clearly, if you are unable to pay your rent or feed yourself, then, of course, it would be preferable to have more money at your disposal, but there surely has to be more to life than simply getting rich, doesn’t there?

Can You Get Rich Fast?

If it was possible to get rich quickly, why do so many people find themselves working incredibly hard for so little? Of course, everyone clings on to the idea you can get rich with the minimum of effort, which is why so many people play the lottery. Indeed, the only way you’re likely to get rich quickly is to stumble upon a piece of good fortune by winning a large sum of money through gambling – whether by playing the lottery, going to a casino or putting money on a horse that comes good. There are other ways you could get rich quickly, but few of them involve actual work.

You may be sitting on a fortune without even realising it, as many people have houses full of junk. You may discover that amongst the ‘junk’ is something that is actually an antique worth a lot of money when you have a house clear-out. It could be that you end up buying something in a junk shop or online because you like the look of it, only to discover it’s actually a rare antique that is incredibly valuable. If it goes to auction you could quickly find yourself with more money than you ever anticipated.

It might be the case that a long-lost relative dies and leaves you a substantial sum of money, so that you find yourself financially better-off. Of course, a relative dying may be a sad affair, and unless your family is inordinately rich, any inheritance probably won’t be that magnificent. However, when life is such a struggle, you need to hold on to something and it would be nice to think that without having to do anything you could become financially secure. Of course, with all the legal wrangling that is likely to ensue, you probably won’t get rich that quickly; plus, you will have to pay tax.

So, basically, you can get rich quick if you come from a wealthy, generous family or like to gamble and have some good luck or are just lucky in general. You may invest in stocks and shares or buy a home that increases in value over the years and find yourself getting rich without any real effort on your part. There are so many get-rich-quick schemes that seem to offer you the chance to make your millions, but they’re all a con, preying on people’s desire to be financially secure. The most depressing thing is that working hard won’t necessarily guarantee you will attain financial security; yet gambling can sometimes pay off. It hardly offers you an incentive to work hard, now; does it?!

Can You Get Rich Writing Online Articles?

Everyone wants to think that the Internet will help them to get rich quickly, but the reality is that very few people actually make their fortune from writing online articles. Of course, there are some writers who do earn a living from writing online articles. These writers are usually prolific; choose topics which are popular; write well; have a marketing strategy in place; and also have a bit of luck on their side. You can’t write online articles and expect to get rich overnight, because it just doesn’t happen that way, despite all the online books available which suggest you can make your millions with very little effort.

Thus, to have any hope of getting rich, or at least making a living from writing online articles, you have to be prepared to put the work in. If you have a blog, you need to write articles on a regular basis and focus on the presentation of your work, as a blog that looks professional and visually appealing is likely to get people coming back compared to one that looks like it’s been thrown together. It helps to have a website, so that you can keep your articles together and post links to articles that you’ve posted elsewhere and people will come to associate your name and website with high-quality work, so long as that is what you produce!

The chances are that if you only write one or two articles a month and make no effort to promote your articles, you are unlikely to make very much money. There are numerous different sites you can submit your articles to and you usually get a share of the advertising revenue. However, in most cases you have to reach a certain threshold before they pay out and if you don’t write on a consistent basis, you may never even reach that threshold. Consequently, if you are serious about making money from your online writing, you have to write every day or every other day and write a number of articles each time.

To increase your productivity it helps to write about issues you feel passionately about and have a degree of knowledge about, as this will make reading, researching and writing much easier and less time-consuming. You will find that you can get a number of articles out of just one topic and if you stick to a particular area, such as health and fitness; beauty issues; or politics, for instance, you can work on building up a group of followers who are likely to look at what you’ve been writing. Clearly, you’re likely to have more success getting people to read your articles if you are sharing information people actually want to read.

You probably aren’t going to get rich from writing online articles and you certainly aren’t going to get rich quickly, but if you put in the hours and devise a strategy, you have a better chance of success than if you write the odd article here and there and hope you strike gold!

The Benefits of Being Rich

There may be more to life than money, but being rich can certainly make life easier. If you have a significant amount of money in your bank account and never have to work again, clearly you have the time to do whatever you want. You don't have to dedicate your life to work in order to keep your head above water and so you can enjoy your wealth. Even if you are not yet in a position to give up work, being rich can certainly help you lead a more luxurious lifestyle than if were working for the minimum wage.

Many people will proclaim that money cannot bring you happiness, which may be true to an extent, but often these people are either rich and have never had to worry about money or aren't very well-off with little chance of this changing. Being rich means that you don't have to worry about being able to afford the basics. You have the money to pay your mortgage and utility bills, so that you may not even consider how difficult this is for other people. Plus, the chances are you will have plenty of money left over to spend on what you want, which isn't the case for everyone.

Whereas most people have to save money to afford a holiday or a new car, or else rely on credit, you may be in a position to simply go out and spend. When you have plenty of money it is very easy to take it for granted and you may not always appreciate everything you've got, especially if your wealth is inherited and you haven't had to work for it. Being rich puts you in a good position to help your own family out, as you are able to afford to send your children to the best schools, which means that they have a better chance of educational success and establishing connections with influential people.

When you are rich, you can have an influence on the decision-making process in public life, if you decide to use your wealth to engage in political or philanthropic activities. You can donate money to political parties and make a name for yourself so that you, too, could eventually be elected to office if that is your desire. You have the money to spend on political campaigns and presenting the right image to the voting public, which is why it is helpful to have been involved in charitable activity and to have donated money to charitable events in the past.

Not that giving money to charity is always a cynical move – it may be that you want to share your wealth with others who are less fortunate than yourself. At least if you are rich you can give money to charity without even batting an eyelid, especially for the purposes of tax breaks. Others may like to give money to charity, but simply cannot afford to. With so many benefits associated with being rich it is little wonder that people continue to buy lottery tickets, as they live in hope that one day their numbers will come up and they can then enjoy a life of luxury and maybe even share their wealth with others.