Well, maybe not. Imagine all the opportunities that would be open up to you if you decided from Day One to just chuck that whole idea. Here are 10 darn good reasons to duck the rat race.

As a poverty “stricken” individual, you’ll find it easy to discard all your old dreams of “success” and – let’s face it – unattainable aspirations. Your new desires will become much more modest, realistic and immediate. While your old bucket list might have had things like “Go to a film premier”, or “Fly a plane”, or “Stay in the best suite”, your new bucket list will be filled with items that you can tic off on a daily basis: find food , shelter for the night, a new bucket, etc. Your sense of accomplishment will do wonders for your self-esteem.Ignore Economic Downturns

The poverty enabled will never be the types to jump out of their 96th floor offices just because the latest economic indicators are troubling. Heck, a full-blown depression could pass you by with hardly a notice, while a mere recession will be looked on as a time of plenty. Here’s why: by embracing poverty, you basically bring yourself down to the level of a severe economic depression; this will be “normal” for you. Then, any improvement at all to the economy will raise your standard of living exponentially while others are still wringing their hands and wondering when things are going to get better. And, when the economy is fully recovered, maybe even booming, you’ll be perfectly situated to take full advantage of a prosperous and generous workforce.

 Finances Can Only Improve
 This is a no-brainer. You won’t have a single worry about losing money or possessions, if you have no money or possessions. If you’re flat broke and you find a penny someone dropped, woo-hoo, it’s your lucky day! But if you’re a millionaire banker, you probably won’t even stoop to pick up a mere penny. Just think of all the lucky days you’ll have, when that banker might go years before he has even one day he considers lucky. Now look at a picture of the Queen. Does she look truly happy? Of course not, she’s worried about her portfolio; maybe BP is down a point or two. It’s the same with Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Rupert Murdoch, et al. They might crack a smile on occasion, but you never see them cutting loose with a really big guffaw. These people are constantly worried about their wealth because they know there’s only one way for their fortunes to go. At the opposite end of the spectrum, however, I’ve heard time and again how, during the Great Depression of the 1930’s, people who were mired in poverty were happy just to be able to eat. Embrace poverty now and you too can be made happy just as easily. I read somewhere, possibly the Top 20 Wise Quotes of Confucius, that “Money can’t buy happiness”. As any idiot knows, another way to say that is ”You WILL be happy without money”. Embrace poverty now.

Moderation, schmoderation
If you embrace poverty, this will be one of the easier things to do – you won’t have any risk at all of an immoderate intake of anything. That is the kind of thing that gets your name in the history books. Look at Gandhi: he was poor as a church mouse, just as ascetic as they come, and now he’s revered as someone who reached the pinnacle of “enlightenment” through self-restraint. But he wasn’t restrained, he was just an adept in Poverty. Be like Gandhi and you’ll get your name in the history books, too.

Healthy Lifestyle
Given sufficient poverty, your health will bloom as a natural consequence. Since you can no longer afford cigarettes, booze or illegal drugs, gone will be the nagging smoker’s hack, hangovers and potential health issues caused by dirty needles. As a bonus, your excessive body fat will just melt away, since you’ll probably be eating somewhat less. And you won’t have to consciously do a thing for all these benefits – no dieting, no nicotine patches or gum, and, unless you have a dealer who also chooses to embrace poverty, no tapering off from your favorite addictive drug. Your friends will be amazed at your “will power”, and medical bills will be a thing of the past.

Go to Heaven
Somebody  said something like, “It’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven”. Now, whether you believe in Heaven or not, it just makes sense to cover all your bases, especially if you can do it without too much to yourself. As the exact opposite of a rich man, you stand a much greater chance of being able to waltz into Heaven with your eyes closed. If you have adequately impoverished yourself, very few temptations will come your way, and those that do come your way can be dismissed with a haughty “I can’t afford that” or “Too rich for my blood, lady”. You’ll be living the lifestyle of a monk, a very deprived monk, but you won’t be stuck in a dusty old abbey somewhere. Saints have been named for less, and you’ll be able to do it as a matter of course.

Freebies!
Rich people will give you freebies. It’s true. As a case in point, I was reading on another list the other day, that someone has come up with an idea to give laptop computers to children in the developing world. These kids aren’t demonstrating in New York or London, shouting “We Want Computers, We Want Computers” – someone is actually hunting them down and saying “Here, kid, take this”. That is a sweet deal. Another example: Habitat for Humanity can build houses in as little as 3 ½ hours, from start to finish. Imagine yourself sitting on your favorite tree stump, picking your teeth with a hummingbird beak, maybe spitting out an occasional feather, reflecting on how happy you are. Suddenly, HFH trucks appear from out of nowhere, and 3 ½ hours and lots of hubbub later, you’re gazing at your new house. It can happen. And not just in the States, either. HFH also did this in New Zealand, but it took them about a quarter hour longer, probably due to the language barrier. At any rate, I’m not sure if HFH includes a coat of paint or if they expect you to do it, but, dang, anybody can live in an unpainted house, especially a free unpainted house

Less Crime
Most crime today is caused by envy, and since the truly impoverished have no possessions, they are seldom envied. Really, what could be stolen from you, besides your bucket? Your sense of accomplishment? You’ll be able to stroll along the darkest alleyways without the slightest fear of being mugged. Granted, you may inadvertently become the victim of crime fighters, but the flip side of that is that you’ll get free room and board. And maybe free medical care.

Easier Food Prep
This item alone would allow you to ratchet down your level of stress. Imagine yourself as the typical rich, gourmand, globe-trotting web site administrator. Rather than worrying about getting the heat just right under your soufflé of hummingbird tongue, you need only concern yourself with rustling up a piece of fatback to go with the collard greens. After embracing poverty, you might eat hummingbird tongue on occasion, but it would most likely go along with the rest of the hummingbird, including the odd feather or two, perhaps in a delicate tartar, whose elegance rests in its simplicity.

 No Workload
Straight off, if you plan to embrace poverty, you might as well embrace not having a job, too. If there’s one good thing about being rich, it’s probably the absence of having to do anything even remotely resembling manual labor and, having embraced poverty as your personal economic philosophy, you won’t have to do manual labor, either. Why? Because, once you’ve embraced not having a job, other responsibilities like mowing the yard, washing the car, house cleaning, counting the change in your pocket and taking a shower, all these things will begin to fall like dominos. You’ll be amazed at how much free time you’ll have.

Natural disasters, political turmoil & some generally bad PR have plagued these global spots, but they have recovered & are more than ready for your visit.
Comeback Destinations: New York City
It was bad enough when reports showed that New York City hotels and apartments were among the top bedbug hot spots in the U.S., but when it was revealed that several landmarks, retail facilities and even a Times Square movie theater were infested, fear spiked and cancellations followed. Swift and aggressive action was taken, and while some places continue to struggle, bedbug reports have tapered off. Being one of the most visited cities in the world, New York will certainly recover
Comeback Destinations: Colombia
In a remarkably short time, Colombia has gone from being a place besieged by drug violence and extortion-related kidnappings to being the fastest-rising travel destination in South America. Tourism buzz about the stability, affordability and abundance of offerings cautiously went mainstream in 2007, and momentum continues to grow. Attractions such as Cartagena, arguably the best-preserved colonial town in South America, the liveliness of Medellín, exceptional national parks, culturally rich pueblos (villages) and beaches on two oceans are raising the collective eyebrows of the tourism industry.
Comeback Destinations: Nicaragua
Lingering mental snapshots of Sandinistas and political instability are hard to dismiss, but colonial architecture, strong eco-tourism and two lengths of fetching coastline have made tourism the largest industry in Nicaragua. Visitors flock to Granada, the country’s oldest colonial city, and the well-preserved town of León. Natural attractions include massive lakes, hiking on volcanoes and diving off the Corn Islands. Although with rising popularity comes rising prices, for the time being Nicaragua is an excellent travel value.
Comeback Destinations: Australia
The global financial crisis affected tourism to Australia harder than most destinations because of the time and expense of traveling there. A brief upswing, peaking with TV talk-show host Oprah Winfrey’s high-profile visit to the country in December 2010, has dipped again after severe flooding and a destructive cyclone in early 2011. Cleanup has been largely completed, and tourism marketing is back to full throttle. Even with the less favorable U.S./Australian dollar exchange rate, the country remains an excellent value, replete with singular attractions, first-rate cuisine, diving and outdoor activities.

Comeback Destinations: Albania
Formerly one of the most inaccessible countries in Eastern Europe, Albania was opened to Western tourists in the late 1980s, though restrictions and lack of infrastructure made travel here unappealing until the early 2000s. Now Albania is appearing on all manner of places-to-travel lists. Only a fraction of the cost of Greece, Italy and Croatia, Albania offers similarly inviting rivers, mountain springs, captivating towns, Roman ruins and nearly 225 miles of coastline.
Comeback Destinations: Myanmar
Be it in the wake of natural disaster, civil unrest, political instability or simply bad public relations, travel to "comeback destinations" can sometimes seem iffy. It can also be incredibly rewarding. Being among the first to arrive at a recovering destination often means few crowds, great deals and special moments. Here are 12 to consider.
Comeback Destinations: Thailand
Coups and political protests in Thailand are frequent and generally peaceful. However, the protests in spring 2010 were violent, and the resulting PR damage has caused serious concern in a country that relies heavily on tourism. Traveling Thailand is still generally safer than in many Western countries, and although the protests affected only a small part of Bangkok, the whole country is working to polish its image. This is translating into excellent travel deals, particularly in resort areas such as Phuket, Koh Samui, Krabi and Pattaya, all of which have completely recovered from the 2005 tsunami.

Comeback Destinations: Mazatlán, Mexico
Widely reported increases in crime and gang-related violence in Mexican border towns and a few resort towns, most notably Acapulco, have done significant PR damage of late. As of this writing, although a State Department travel advisory still exists, it adds, "Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year." Nevertheless, Mexico is in damage-control mode, which means a torrent of comeback incentives. Mazatlán stands out among resort cities with exceptional restaurants scattered along the pedestrian-friendly resort strip and an easily accessible, worthwhile historic center, with a bustling food market.

Comeback Destinations: New Orleans
Just as New Orleans was shaking off the effects of Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill knocked it back onto the ropes. Although the spill didn’t affect the city itself, media coverage suggested otherwise. An average city might have struggled for untold years to recover its tourism numbers, but New Orleans is no average city. The tenacious tourism destination is working hard to restore its image; meanwhile, crowds — while not exactly sparse — are for the time being a little more manageable for those wanting some elbow room on Bourbon Street.
Comeback Destinations: Detroit
Having been a symbol and one-word punch line for struggling, disagreeable cities for as long as it has, Detroit's transformation into an alluring destination seems farfetched. But, in fact, tourism is a growth industry, with about 16 million people visiting annually. Leisure visitors are drawn by the North American International Auto Show; the multiday Motown Winter Blast outdoor carnival and music festival; and The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, America's largest indoor-outdoor museum complex and theme park celebrating America’s past and the birth of modern automobile manufacturing. Soon they could be coming to pay homage to a new statue of a famous cyborg crime-fighter
Comeback Destinations: Chile
On Feb. 27, 2010, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, one of the largest quakes in recorded history, hit just off the coast of Maule region in Chile, about 200 miles southwest of the capital, Santiago. A year later, recovery is ongoing, but critical infrastructure has been restored to the famously narrow country, which stretches for more than 2,600 scenic miles, from the Atacama Desert — the driest in the world — past volcanoes, lakes, geysers, steppes, beaches and glaciers. As for low-impact activities, consider the eye-widening statistic that Chile is the world's fifth-largest exporter of wine.