I am the 4.48%

I am an American.

I was born in this country and I have, by this fact alone, been given the inheritances, the privileges and 

freedoms of what it means to be an American citizen.

Of the world’s population, Americans make up 4.48%. That is it.

I am the 4.48%.

4.48% of the entire world have the greatest freedoms and privileges in the entire world. We have the opportunity to pursue our dreams--no matter what they may be-- to have a family, a home, a career, a future. We have the capabilities, and are given every opportunity,  to succeed. To work hard to get ahead.  It is not easy. A job,  a savings account, a future, is not just handed to you. It is yours for the taking.

I go to work to make money. I make money to be able to put it in my savings account, so that my husband and I can have a future; so that we can provide for our future children; be able to afford their education so that they, too, can someday work hard for their future.

Will I be as successful as my dad? My neighbor? My boss? Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on how hard I work, what opportunities are presented to me, and what opportunities I seek for myself.

The fact that others are more successful than me does not make me want to quit. It does not make me think that they don’t deserve what they get. They do. They worked for it. When someone else is more successful than me, it gives me incentive to try harder, to follow the example they have laid before me.

I do not want hand-outs. I would not appreciate them or value them as much as a hard-earned dollar. I know that I will not be as wealthy as many. I know that I will have more than some. I know that life is not fair and I know that there are tremendously hard situations that many people face that prohibit them from having the same opportunities that others have.

But I also know that those situations can be overcome. They can be conquered. That is the American Dream. To rise above your circumstances, to pursue greater opportunities, and to never give up.

We are the 4.48%. Our Founding Fathers, our Military, and our determination to keep the American Dream alive are responsible for the significance represented in that percentage.


Each generation of Americans, until my own, has succeeded the generation prior in success and in standard of living. The legacy of the American Dream has lived on since the founding of our country. And for the first time it is floundering.


Not everyone can leave behind a legacy like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or any given President. But every American has the opportunity to leave behind the legacy of hard work, determination, and endurance through hard times.

I will not give up on the American Dream. I will not stop working when it is hard. And I will not be classified in the 99%. Because I am NOT the 99%.

And neither are you. You are an American. And Americans work hard. Americans do not give up. Americans exceed expectations. And Americans succeed.