Being a Millionaire

Flamboyance, elegance, class, luxury, living lavish, name it all, are the thoughts that come to every naive soul’s mind at the mention of wealth. It gets even more exhilarating if the wealth in this case is to the tune of millions or even billions. For some reason, being rich oftentimes goes together with power, fame and respect. Therefore, there is no surprise that when listening to young people, their dreams and ambitions are about making it to the Forbe’s list of the richest people on the planet. The blame cannot, however, be squarely borne by them. Every person admires driving top-class fuel guzzlers and living in palatial homes fit for royalty. However, just like any other career, profession, title or duty, being a millionaire is not devoid of shortcomings. Behind the glamour and flamboyance presented by millionaires or the “supposed perception” of this public display of might of wealth, their lies myriads of challenges and huddles.

Millionaires face many challenges that come with the title of being a hot shot in the money markets. The first likely answer is the pressure that comes with it. The mental and social pressures that come with being a millionaire are almost equivalent on many fronts, and if not handled with utmost precision and professionalism, can result in far reaching consequences. Stress and depression are the likely endings of the story. Millionaires naturally become insecure and read any uncommon events occurring around them and in their lives as attempts to take them out of the equation. Sometimes their fears and worries are legitimate. In other cases, they are baseless and unwarranted (Kashktan, 2012).

The greatest friend and enemy to a celebrity is the media. Millionaires are celebrities in their own right, and they are no exception to this. The media builds and jeopardizes careers and lives with almost equal measures. They scrutinize the lives of millionaires and ensure they leave nothing in their quest to find juicy information regarding the subject’s past (Robin, Dominguez & Tilford, 2008). They dig deep into the millionaires’ lives, and their secrets are unearthed for all and sundry to hear. Such secrets, especially the most revealing ones could prove to be potential home-breakers. It matters remarkably little if the millionaire in question is the laid-back type, camera shy or addicted to the limelight. The reason, the media's unrelenting and unwavering interest in the lives of millionaires is somewhat clear. To most people, they are role models and mentors. Nothing would be more appealing than finding one or two more things about the person that makes a person build castles in the air.

One other debatable challenge is on the effect of wealth to the magnitude of billions to the family set up. Arguably, most children brought up in extreme lack of wealth have proper insight on management of life issues and do not fall victim to various social, cultural and moral judgments. This argument bases on the scandals involving sons and daughters of millionaires that decorate the columns of the newspaper pages. It does not end there. Some “rich kids” engage in life threatening activities. From racing cars on the highways, abuse of hardcore drugs and sexual immorality among a host of other endangering acts. A possible explanation to this attributes to the argument that most millionaires’ lives have busy schedules, interviews to give, meetings to attend, business trips to go for an unending paperwork. All these activities contribute to limiting the interaction between the millionaires and their sons and daughters. The resultant effect is children who turn more or less as social misfits (Robin, Dominguez & Tilford, 2008).

The immense and sometimes unrealistic expectations from friends and family also pose a challenge to millionaires. Being a millionaire looks like being in a position of dishing out goodies at will. Friends and family flock millionaires with the hope of benefitting from them (Kashktan, 2012). Philanthropic gestures are not detrimental, but such opportunism should never get a place in society. Millionaires also face the risk of being “excommunicated”. Friends and family tend to look at them differently and usually, they find themselves left out with no company. They thus stick out like sore thumbs. Nobody in his or her right senses would cherish the feeling of solitude. After all, no man is an island.

In conclusion, being a millionaire is undoubtedly a plus, especially in this era when money seemingly determines one’s destiny. Additionally, if looked at keenly and carefully, millionaire’s lives have challenges, setbacks and huddles. Bill Gates, one of the richest men in the world says there is nothing so exciting about being a millionaire. He says after the million, it is all the same. There could not be a better way of putting it.