“The average chief executive of an S&P 500 company made $13.1 million per year in 2016 — equivalent to 347 times more money than the average worker, according to separate data released by Executive Pay Watch, a report conducted by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). Last year, CEOs were paid 335 times the average worker. The average production and non-supervisory worker earned around $37,600 annually in 2016, it found. When adjusted for inflation, the average wage has remained stagnant for 50 years.” (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/is-this-1-billion-scratch-card-game-a-new-high-or-low-for-us-lotteries-2017-05-12).

Does the above story make you mad or does it motivate you to do something different? I think this excerpt from MarketWatch.com likely summons one of two emotional responses from readers. I’m not sure which Fortune 500 CEO is making a measly $13 million because in relation to the other CEOs in the top companies, $13 million is below the poverty line. Either way, that’s more money than most people can imagine making in a lifetime, less more a yearly salary. Yeah, I can see why that would make a person mad.

Given the above response, who are those out there that find motivation in a story like this and what kind of drugs are they taking? Well, I guess that will be me and I assure you I have a prescription for all drugs ingested. So when I read this story, perhaps it’s not so much what is literally printed but more of a confirmation of what I already know and believe.

You see, I am a strong proponent of being in business for yourself. There is nothing inherently wrong with being just an employee. Thank God we live in a country where we have the choice to be what ever we want to be if we’re willing to pay the price.  So, here is the hidden message in the above factoid. You will continually see the compensation comparison of CEOs and the regular rank-n-file employee. At first glance, there does not appear to be a sensible level of compensation equity. But if you look closer, go ahead-lean in, CEOs are not regular employees. These guys and gals are more like business owners where they have built a personal brand for themselves that is sold just like many other business services.

Okay, so where is the motivation here? Well, you have the choice to build our own personal brand or start your own company. It really comes down to choices and sacrifices. If you knew exactly what it would take and the personal sacrifice required to reach these upper income levels, you might not choose this pursuit. So, if you like the freedom of being a regular employee, then own it and everything else that comes with it or not. Whichever route you choose, just remember “the average wage has remained stagnant for 50 years” and this trend is not likely to change.

~ H2