- “My in flight movie was longer than my flight.”
- “I have nowhere to put my leftovers because my fridge is too full.”
- “I took such a long shower this morning that my hot water ran out.”
- “When my dishwasher is running, I have to turn the volume up on the TV.”
These, my friends, are “first world problems”, minor frustrations we like to complain about, even though we know people in other parts of the world are dealing with much bigger issues like civil war, Ebola outbreaks, and food shortages.
Danica Patrick, NASCAR driver, supermodel, and spokeswoman, might just be the poster child for First World Problems. A few years ago Patrick spent $202,000 on a silver Lamborghini Gallardo, but, after finding a number of things to complain about, she left it in the garage. There were too many potholes in her neighborhood. She couldn’t find anywhere to park when she was out and about. There was no room to fit anything bigger than a briefcase. And (my personal favorite), the car didn’t have a space to stash her beloved cup of black coffee. “It sounds stupid,” Patrick said, “but there are no cup holders in my Lamborghini. What’s a girl to do?”
Clearly, Danica lives a hard li
fe. But the other day, when I caught myself complaining about a “good” problem, I realized that at some point, we’ve probably all failed to appreciate just how great we have it. The truth is most of us are very well off-at least compared to the rest of the world. Consider this:
- If you earn $25,000 or more annually, you are in the top 10% of the world’s income-earners.
- If you have a car, you are among the richest 7%.
- If you own your home, you’re in the top 5%.
This isn’t to say that those of us in the First World don’t have real problems, too. Life isn’t all Lamborghinis and in-flight movies. Everyone has serious challenges and some of them, such as heart disease and obesity, are even unique to affluent countries. But it is life’s real struggles that deserve our attention, rather than the minor inconveniences we tend to get worked up about. The next time I’m tempted to complain about something trivial,instead I plan to use it as an opportunity to pause, reflect, and realize how good we actually have it.
Be grateful for your cup holder this weekend,
Bob
