Mon, May 17, 2010 - 7:25:56

Striking it Rich

Think you have to make the pages of Forbes Magazine to be considered one of the world’s richest people?  Well, according to a new website, The Global Rich List, nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, if your family earns the average household income in the United States, you’re in the top 0.97 percentile of earners worldwide.  Divide that amount in half and as MainStreet.com reports, you’re still in the top 10%. 

But, The Global Rich list isn’t about ranking the “haves” against the “have-nots” and comparing with your friends.  Instead, it’s about showing everyday people that it doesn’t take a Bill Gates budget to make a difference in the lives of others.  Each time you enter in your salary total, the website shows you multiple ways you could affect real change with the same amount of money you spend on the little things each day.
For example, when we visited the site, we learned:
• $8 could buy 15 organic apples at the supermarket OR 25 fruit trees to help farmers in Honduras earn a living.
• $30 could buy an ER DVD box set OR a First Aid kit to help an entire village in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
• $73 could buy a new cell phone OR a mobile health clinic to treat orphans suffering from AIDS in Uganda.

These are just a few ways in which SMALL really can help change the world and it all starts with you.  After all, the world isn’t filled with Warren Buffetts and Richard Bransons and you don’t have to be just like them to make a difference.  All you have to do is recognize the amazing power even your littlest actions hold and harness it.  It could be as simple as purchasing a product that donates a portion of the proceeds to a cause you believe in or adding a dollar to your grocery bill to help children in need.  So, lend a hand because inside each of us is the potential to become a hero to someone else, no matter how small.

Posted by Linda and Robin