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Comment by throw99way | Hacker News Reader

My household income is north of a million. But every time I look at Levels.fyi I feel like I'm falling behind my peers. It takes a concerted effort to then pull my thought process back to the real problems in the world and not my idiotic social comparisons. One way I try to bring that thought process back to being grounded is to setup another automatic monthly donation. That makes me feel good for a while.

I've wondered if leaving the SF Bay Area will be the key to ending my social comparison misery cycle.

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As someone who has been working since the 90s and leads a team of 20 people in NYC where no one earns more than 250k. You're doing fine. Most of the highest incomes are RSUs which are being savaged.

Our household does well, or at least did this year, but earn nowhere near what your household does. BUT, I think I can relate.

I've typed up 4 responses to this comment, but deleted the other three because they all assumed certain things about you based on my own beliefs and experience with this issue.

This comment makes you sound unhappy but I hope that is not the case. You have nothing but choices and opportunity. Ask yourself "What is enough?" and "When I have enough, what will do?". It's likely you're already there and can finance a life that makes you happy.

> I've wondered if leaving the SF Bay Area will be the key to ending my social comparison misery cycle.

I suppose you can either change yourself or change your social circle. I've found big changes in myself are difficult without changing the external factors for some period of time. Otherwise, it's too easy to fall into old patterns of behavior.

The is the epitome of rich people problems

Correct. But it is real. "Promoted to Senior Director of Product at Google... I wonder what comp that is? What?!? $2M+. That guy worked for me 5 years ago."

I'm not saying you have no problems to worry about but "reading the room" is important and you'll be hard-pressed to find sympathy given your circumstances and the fact that most users here come nowhere close to that level of income.

Honestly thanks for sharing, you must have recognized many here would be annoyed by your professional success but it’s good to get the perspective. Confirms to me that there is no winning the rat race, you’ll always want more and be annoyed at your competitors leapfrogging you.

You know what they say, the joy of wealth is inconstant. The perspective you've offered is real but as someone pointed out, it's worth reading the room. Emerson once said (to a rich man) something like, "Give this person the inner work of his intellect, and he will be happier than the richest man".

Move to a state that does not have an income tax. Instant raise!

You are rich. Like literally 1%. If you move to Central Europe then maybe 0.1% too

Here is my wallet can you spare me some bitcoins. Want to buy a new desktop PC

bc1qlzd94zysdrw7uha4nn7hz27vumx4v5734jhmgz

or ether

0x4206a4139a506f77eE08Cf72fA8809F7A594B1C5

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