WHY do you work? To get paid? Do you have enough? How much is enough? How rich are you? These are some questions that you should periodically ask yourself in order to maintain balance and perspective. A recent article by MP Dunleavey on MoneyCentral MSN discusses these issues in the context of the American economy.

One observation he makes illustrates the amazing variation in dollar amounts that people attach to the concept of being rich.

. Those who earned less than US$30,000 thought that a household income of US$74,000 would qualify as rich.

. Those who made US$30,000 – US$50,000 said an income of US$100,000 would be rich.

. People in the top half of earners were more likely to say that an income of U$200,000 earns you the right to the R word.

Edward Wolff, a Professor of Economics at NYU who studies wealth, points out that even the people we think of as being “rich and famous” – ie, movie, rock and sports stars – may not be as rich as you think. Our perception is greatly distorted.

“These are people with big incomes, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to big wealth,” he says. “Just getting it is half the battle – then you have to maintain it, and that takes a continuous flow of big income.”

What would make you rich?

About half of the very rich have inherited their wealth, Wolff says. “The rest of the super-rich tend to be business owners or have an (ownership) stake in their work.”

You don’t have to be among the Forbes 400 to be wealthy (you’d need US$600 million just to hit the bottom of that list). But you do need to ask yourself some hard questions:

Even if you just want to be “comfortable,” does your vision of that include some things that go well beyond mere comfort? If you want to be rich, what does that look like?

What kinds of decisions (about your career, for example) or sacrifices would you have to make to get there? If you’re not aiming for rich, could you be happy with what you have instead of living a life of fruitless self-torture because you’re not? Or, will this be the moment when you face the fact that what you do for a living will never make you rich. Will you then decide to switch gears?

These are big questions, but they’re essential. At some point you have to be honest with yourself about who you are, what kind of life you want, what will make you content. Are you on the path to great wealth? Or have you achieved what millions of others might consider a very wealthy life indeed?

How rich are you?

Rich is after all relative. The people at Poke, a creative agency in London, using World Bank data have created a Global Rich List and they provide a calculator that tells you how rich you are compared to the rest of the world. Please check your own salary to put your life in perspective. (www.globalrichlist.com)

By their estimate, an annual salary of US$10,000 would put you in the top 13 per cent of the world’s wealthiest individuals. There are 5,204,294,954 people poorer than you.

The spirit of Kwanzaa

Tomorrow is the first day of Kwanzaa. These next seven days bridge the gap between the past and the future; they are the point where the old and new years meet.

The Nguzo Saba, The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa present a great opportunity for reflection. How can we use these principles year round to take us into the New Work Order and put our life on a better path?

Day 1 – December 26 – Umoja (Unity)

To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.

This speaks to the importance of teamwork. If we as a nation can become a team, agreeing on a goal and accepting that the best way to achieve this goal is to work together, we would quickly see the fruits of our labours – a synergistic level of increased efficiency and productivity, more peace and increased pride in our wonderful Jamaica.

Day 2 – December 27 – Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)

To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves instead of being defined, named, created for and spoken for by others.

. Be willing to set your own agenda.

. Don’t accept the limitations or be sucked in by the fashion of the day.

. Be willing to go where no one has been.

. Be willing to take risks.

Day 3 – December 28 – Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)

To build and maintain our community together and make our sister’s and brother’s problems our problems and to solve them together.

The violence and mayhem affects us all; even if only by making us more insensitive to the circumstances of others when we block it out.

Douglas Orane recently spoke of a wonderful programme called “One Small Move” that Grace Kennedy is involved with sponsoring. The programme essentially asks each person involved to do what they can, with what they have, right where they are to make a difference in their immediate community and to do that action for three weeks. One person gave up cursing bad words. We all can do something.

Day 4 – December 29 – Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)

To build and maintain businesses and to profit from them together.

This speaks to reward systems that work; not of dons sending to be paid when no effort has been expended. Many companies instituted incentive schemes that rewarded productivity and ingenuity.

Business owners have begun to pay for skills and results, not time spent on the job. I am sure that in 2006, the business community will continue to investigate new ways to share both risks and rewards.

Day 5 – December 30 – Nia (Purpose)

To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

I would implore all entrepreneurs to develop products and services consistent with a healthy social conscience. Do unto others.

Who you are and what you stand for are becoming just as important as what you sell. – Richard Barrett, author of “Liberating the Corporate Soul”.

Day 6 – December 31 – Kuumba (Creativity)

To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

. Learn to think outside the box, develop right brain competence and intuition.

. Work with more Emotional Intelligence (EQ): The ability to sense, understand, and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information, trust, creativity and influence.

Day 7 – January 1 – Imani (Faith)

To believe with all of our heart in our people.

. Dare to create the future – don’t sit around saying “Nutten naah gwaan fi mi”. Get up and Do something.

. Stop cursing the children. Stop cursing the youth – what you sow, you will surely reap.

. Get ready for the Next Work Order – The 4th Work Order – Level of Consciousness.

Take charge of your life for 2006.

Dr Semaj is a frequent facilitator for Strategic Planning Retreats, Cultural Alignment and Organisational Restructuring. He conducts Staff Selection and Development Programmes for different business sectors across the Caribbean.