Born into a small house crammed with lots of people, professional basketball player Scottie Pippen didn't have much as a boy. But his journey into the NBA changed all that. From 1999 through 2002, his contract promised him at least $14.7 million a year—not to mention income from endorsements. He already owns a 74-foot yacht and a $100,000 Mercedes.

But that doesn't shield anyone from the negative effects of comparing ourselves to others. A Sports Illustrated feature said: "Before every game in Portland's Rose Garden, Pippen lets his gaze drift over to the courtside seat occupied by Paul Allen, cofounder of Microsoft and owner of both the Trail Blazers and the Seattle Seahawks, a man with a personal net worth of $40 billionâ¦. 'What does he have?' Pippen asks. 'Forty billion? How can I make just one billion? I just want one of them! What do I need to do?'"